Aura Kingdom: Otherworldly Envoys
by Ryuzuki98
Summary: The players of a popular game have been thrusted in a new reality and are faced with its endless wonders and dangers. The young gamer Satoshi Yatsumura and his friends will live between two worlds, their own, and the mysterious world of Terra, to which they have been transported by the Cube of Gaia.
1. Chapter 1: Bizarre Occurrences

Otherwordly Envoys

Chapter 1: Bizarre Occurrences

It appeared to be a normal day in Tokyo. A young man felt the sun rays on his face and slowly stirred awake, before getting up from his bed. He was quite tall and had short black hair and shining amber eyes. His room was tidy, his shelves were filled with manga and on his desk a computer stood out.

As he finished his morning routine, he heard a familiar voice calling from the lower floor.

"Sato-chan! Sou-chan! Breakfast is almost ready!"

"We're coming, mom!" he replied as he began changing out of his pajamas, hearing another familiar voice replying the same way. As he finished changing into gray pants, a yellow shirt, and a black jacket, complete with black socks, he exited his room and was greeted by a familiar figure. A boy, shorter than him, bearing his same amber eyes and short black hair which partially covered the left side of his face. He was already dressed, as well, in a high-school gakuran uniform.

"Morning, Satoshi Nii-san!" the boy said, in a slightly tired tone.

"Morning, Soukichi." Satoshi replied, as he walked down the stairs with his little brother, heading to the kitchen, where their mother, a woman with long black hair and amber eyes, dressed in a turquoise t-shirt, a purple long skirt and a pink apron, was waiting for them.

"Good morning!" she greeted them with a giggle.

"Morning, mom!" the both replied in unison, one more tiredly than the other.

"Awww, why are you so tired, Sou-chan?" the woman said to her younger son "It's Friday!" Satoshi, being a little more awake than his sibling, chuckled at her mother's statement and at the cutesy tone in which she had said it, which had succeeded in putting some energy back in the shorter boy.

"And we all know how joyous Fridays are, right?" he replied as he fetched a pack of biscuits while his brother sat at the table.

"You have no idea, Sato-chan." their mother sighed, as a slice of bread was being roasted in a toaster behind her. "Everyone looks forward to the end of the week, after all. Even you!"

"Yes, of course!" Satoshi nodded, sitting at the table as well "Even though my schedule is more sparse than yours or Soukichi's."

"But no less stressful." his mother commented.

"Nope, not at all." the youth nodded once more at the remark.

"Well, I have no doubt that you're going through your course like a liner, Nii-san!" Soukichi commented, making his brother blush a little.

"W-Well, I've chosen the subject I do best! And it can still be quite challenging..." he objected,and in that exact moment, something surfaced in the shorter boy's mind, contributing to fully waking him up

"Oh, right! Tomorrow, we'll be going to-" but his attention was caught by an odd odor before he could finish his sentence. The smell was perceived by his older brother as well.

"What's this smell?" the youth asked, as his eyes wandered around the room and eventually fell on the toaster behind his mother, who quickly turned.

"Oh no! The toast!" the woman gasped in shock, rushing at the machine. Her face was contorted in an expression of disappointment and slight disgust as she removed the slice of bread from the toaster, but her expression turned into one of surprise in finding a perfectly made toast instead of a burnt slice.

" _It's…_ _Perfect!_ " she thought " _But how? I had completely forgotten about it until I smelled that stench..._ "

"Was that my toast?" Soukichi asked, with some concern in his voice.

"Yes." his mother said with a smile, showing him his toast "It's ready!" Both the brothers were left speechless, since they were not expecting a well-made toast from that odor of burnt bread.

"If that smell wasn't coming from the toast, then what was it?" Satoshi couldn't help asking.

"Now that you mention it..." his mother noticed, as that nasty odor was no longer hitting her nostrils "That smell is gone..."

" _Now that's bizarre..._ " the youth thought. His little brother, on the other hand, paid little mind to it and began spreading cherry flavored jam on his toast, with a big smile on his face.

"What were you saying, Soukichi?" Satoshi asked his brother.

"Uh?" his brother confusedly muttered, before remembering what he was about to say "Oh yeah! Tomorrow we will be going to the Tokyo Game Show!"

"Oh, right!" the youth beamed upon hearing that statement "Man, now I'm getting excited. I already know what stand I will be visiting first."

"And what would that be, Sato-chan?" their mother asked as he dipped a cookie in his tea and ate it, while his brother took a bite of his toast.

"I'll be going to the stand of **Innocent World**!" Satoshi replied "It's only fair, since I've been playing and throughly enjoying that game!"

"Hey! Don't forget about me, Nii-san!" Soukichi called "You know I love that game, too!" Their banter made their mother giggle.

"How long have you two been playing it, now?" she asked them, with a smile.

"I've been playing for a solid week, Soukichi for 5 days." Satoshi quickly replied.

"It's good to like games, Sato-chan." the woman said, her tone becoming more serious "But don't forget about real life! You have quite a lot of things to do there!"

"Mom..." Satoshi replied, with a reassuring look "As much as I love this game, I love my life just as much!" His words were enough to quench his mother's worries and sigh in relief.

"Innocent World is an online game!" Soukichi added "Nii-san and I enjoy meeting new people, and this game allows just that. That's one of the reasons we love it so much!"

"And we're hoping to meet some of those people in the flesh at the convention!" Satoshi concluded, winning a giggle from his mother.

"Well, this is what conventions are for, right?" she said, making her sons chuckle amiably at her words.

After they finished their breakfast, the brothers headed to the house door and, upon reaching it, put on their shoes, ready to go out and start their day.

"We're out!" They said as they left the house.

"Take care!" their mother saw them off with a smile. The two youths walked to the closest underground station, looking at the city around them. Soukichi saw a young man at a bus stop close by, tapping on his smartphone while waiting for his bus. From the business suit he was dressed in, he figured he was a salaryman.

Little did he know about what he was doing on his smartphone, which was playing at the game he and his brother knew and loved.

After the two youths had walked away, finding the underground station they needed, the bus came at its stop and its doors opened, ready to let new passengers in. However, the young man was deeply engrossed in his gaming session, and didn't take notice of the vehicle.

When he did, it was already too late. The doors closed and the bus began moving again. The young man was left with no choice but to hurry after it.

"Hey! Wait!" he called out as he panted, while running after the vehicle. However, something completely unexpected happened. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he was seated in the very same bus he was chasing. He looked around in disbelief, panting.

" _H-How did this happen?_ " he couldn't help but think. To his luck, there were not many people in the bus, so no one had noticed the bizarre occurrence. The young man decided it was best to not make a fuss about what had happened.

In the meantime, the young brothers entered the Tokyo underground, ready to take the train that would have taken them in the area where their schools were located. They spent their time chatting.

"Say, Nii-san..." Soukichi asked his brother "Have you found any other players at school?"

"Some, but not so many." Satoshi quickly replied "What about you, Soukichi?"

"None. Zero." the shorter boy shook his head in disappointment. "I wish I had your luck..."

"Try to understand them." the youth explained "Many online games are known to have a great problem: toxic communities. Besides, not all these kind of games are gems..."

"But Innocent World is!" Soukichi protested "And its community is the farthest from toxic I've ever seen! Remember those kind senpai-tachi who had helped us when we had begun playing?" Satoshi chuckled happily at the memory as he and his brother boarded the train.

"Yes, I remember." he replied "We were so lucky to meet them!" The statement made his brother chuckle as well. As soon as they managed to find a seat, the train departed. The two youths stood silent for the duration of the journey, in order to not wake up the passengers who were resting there.

After two stops, the brothers reached their destination and left the train. While walking out of the underground station, they chatted, discussing about a variety of topics. Of course, their favorite game came up more than once during their chat. Then, the time came for them to separate and head to their schools.

"Good luck with today, Soukichi!" Satoshi said, offering his fist to his brother.

"Good luck to you too, Nii-san!" Soukichi cheerily replied, as he happily bro-fisted the youth "And remember to spread the word!"

"Will do!" the youth replied with a chuckle, before he and his brother went their separate ways.

It didn't take long for Satoshi to reach the Tokyo Metropolitan University campus. Once he reached the gates, he fished his phone out of his pocket to check the hour.

"30 minutes before the lecture starts." he notices, but he couldn't help but notice something that shocked him before putting the handheld device back in its place.

"Shoot! I had forgotten to charge the phone last night..." he hissed. The battery of his mobile phone was quite low. He shook his head in resignation as he entered the building. He found the room where his lecture would have been held and looked for a seat.

"Good morning, Yatsumura-kun!" his course mates greeted upon seeing him, and he always greeted them back with a smile. He managed to find a place to sit, next to a friend of his, a young man with untidy hazelnut hair and brown eyes, dressed in a light blue jacket, matching pants and a turquoise shirt.

"Good morning, Tsushima!" he greeted him upon taking his seat, catching his attention.

"Oh, good morning, Yatsumura-kun!" he greeted him cheerfully "How are you doing?"

"Doing good, thanks." he replied "What about you?"

"Feeling great!" Tsushima replied "I always feel great on Fridays! Have any plans for the weekend?"

"Yes, I do!" the amber-eyed youth answered "I'll be going to the Tokyo Game Show with my brother."

"Wow man, you too?!" his friend happily exclaimed "I'll be going there, too! There are so many cool games I want to try out! Also, there's no way I'm missing the hot cosplayers!" The last statement made Satoshi laugh.

"Of course..." the amber-eyed youth commented, expecting such a statement from him.

The other students were chatting as well, but the volume of the talking was lowered when the lecturer of the day entered the room. Satoshi and his friend were not happy to see him.

"Oh no..." Tsushima commented, in a low voice "That's Watanabe-sensei! The most boring lecturer alive!"

"This will be a long lecture..." Satoshi sighed, sharing his friend's disappointment.

"Yeah." his friend sulked "He'll ruin our day before the weekend..."

"Alright everyone! Silence, please!" Watanabe called in a stern, yet somewhat indifferent tone "The lecture is about to begin."

The lecturer was known for his inability to keep the interest of his listeners alive, and the poor students always had to exert an immense amount of effort to listen to him for a full hour without straying off or falling drowsy. Unfortunately, the lecture lasted two hours, and to maintain the attention focused on the boring professor seemed impossible.

Satoshi tried his best to keep himself focused as long as possible, but his energies had to reach a limit. However, right when he was about to give up, he felt something jolting inside him. He didn't know what had happened, but he felt more than capable to endure the boringly exposed lecture of the professor, and so he did. As soon as the most important part of the lesson was reached, the amber-eyed youth fished out his notebook and wrote notes that would have reminded him of the object of the lecture. Tsushima, who had long given up, could only stare at his course mate in disbelief.

"The lecture is over. Thank you for attending." Watanabe finally said, as if releasing the students from a session of torture. Everyone happily packed his bag and prepared to leave.

"How the hell did you manage to stay focused until the end?!" Tsushima asked his friend.

"Believe me, I don't know!" Satoshi replied "But what I know for sure is that a miracle had just happened!"

"Damn right, my man!" his friend enthusiastically exclaimed. The two students then got up from their seats and headed to the cafeteria to eat lunch.

As they queued up to buy a bento box and a small sandwich, Tsushima fished his phone out of his pocket and plugged his earphones in it, before beginning to use it. Satoshi decided to take out his phone as well, in order to check the energy left in its battery, but, much to his astonishment, he found a battery at full charge.

" _T-the battery is at 100%?!_ " he thought " _But it was really low, last time I checked! Which was more than two hours ago!_ "

"Oh, yeah! Shake it, baby~!" His train of stupor was interrupted by Tsushima, who was entranced and aroused by what he was seeing on his phone.

"Wh-What are you watching, Tsushima?" he couldn't help but ask, with a bit of a blush on his face.

"Look, Yatsumura-kun!" his course mate replied, showing him the latest music video from a renowned lounge techno artist. It featured a dancer with a lot of sex appeal, enough to make Satoshi understand the reason of his friend's arousal, and slightly darken his blush.

"Awesome, isn't it?" Tsushima said, putting the screen out of his friend's sight.

"Yeah..." Satoshi replied "But it looked like you were watching something else." Hearing the statement, the other student burst in laughter.

"Nah!" he replied "I'm not doing such a thing in campus!" It wasn't long before the two students' turn to buy their food came. They bought a bento box and an egg sandwich each and looked for a place to sit. While walking around, they came across an older woman with long black hair and sky blue eyes, dressed in a white, short-sleeved shirt, a black skirt, a matching jacket and heeled shoes.

"Good morning!" they respectfully greeted her.

"Good morning!" the woman greeted back with a warm smile, before passing them by and heading to an ice cream stand close by.

Eventually, Satoshi and Tsushima managed to find a free seat next to two other course mates of theirs: a young man with chin-length brown hair and green eyes, dressed in a dark blue jacket, matching pants, a bordeaux-red t-shirt and shoes of the same color of the shirt, and a young woman with shoulder-length pink hair and sky blue eyes, wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt, a pink skirt, white thigh highs and yellow shoes. They were sit across one another.

"Nakahara-san! Suzuki!" the amber-eyed youth greeted his friends happily.

"Hey there, guys!" his friend greeted as well, waving at them.

"Oh! Tsushima-kun! Yatsumura-kun!" Nakahara exclaimed happily.

"Hi there! Have a seat!" Suzuki invited, and their friends gladly obliged, sitting next to them.

"So, how are you guys doing?" he asked.

"We're doing fine, thank you!" Tsushima happily replied, before taking a bite of his sandwich "Besides Watanabe-sensei, of course!"

"Yeah, we could have had any other professor and the lecture would have been so much more successful!" Nakahara commented, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.

"But, somehow, we still got through it." Suzuki added, confidently "We have the weekend for ourselves, now..." he then gazed lovingly at her girlfriend sitting in front of her, making her blush. Satoshi smiled at their display of affection while Tsushima rolled his eyes.

And so, the youths began eating their food. Satoshi glanced at Suzuki's box, and noticed that it wasn't the kind provided by the cafeteria.

"Suzuki, did Nakahara bring you lunch?" he couldn't help but ask, to which Suzuki nodded "Mhm."

"Again?" Tsushima exclaimed upon hearing that.

"So, how is it, Yuuta?" Nakahara asked, expectantly, to which her boyfriend smiled brightly.

"It's delicious, Chitose." he replied "Your lunches are always amazing! You would make for a great wife."

"Yuuta..." Nakahara couldn't help but blush upon hearing that claim, as a sweet smile bloomed on her face.

"Um, Suzuki?" Satoshi couldn't help but comment, warily "I would be careful with saying such things, if I were you..."

"Overthinking, overthinking~" Tsushima murmured mischievously, with a smirk on his face, causing his course mate to blush brightly.

"Yatsumura..." Suzuki retorted, clearly not happy with the youth's warning "I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for it." he then turned to Nakahara, with a loving gaze "I love Chitose with all of my heart, and I hope that we'll end up like that in the future." Upon hearing those words, Nakahara clasped her hands together in delight as her eyes sparkled.

"Oh, Yuuta… I love you so much..." she murmured.

"Forget I said anything." Satoshi concluded, smiling at the scene with a blush on his face, while Tsushima snickered.

Some time later during lunch, the amber-eyed youth plucked out his smartphone from his pocket once more.

"Guys..." he asked while placing his phone on the table "You don't mind if I check in my account, do you?"

"No problemo!" Tsushima smiled, giving his friend a thumbs up.

"It's okay." Nakahara smiled sweetly

"Go ahead." Suzuki nodded.

"Thank you!" Satoshi said, before opening the Innocent World app on his smartphone and checking his dailies there.

"What are you playing?" Nakahara asked, out of curiosity. Satoshi simply smiled as he showed her and Tsushima the screen of his phone, showing his in-game avatar.

"Oh, it's Innocent World, isn't it?" the latter said "Man, that's an awesome game!" The former looked at the screen with interest. Satoshi knew that Tsushima played that game as well, and apparently had been playing it for a little more time than him.

"I don't know..." Suzuki objected "I wouldn't trust online games so much, if I were you."

"Don't worry, Suzuki!" Satoshi reassured "The community there is great!" Then, the four of them noticed someone passing them by. It was a tall young man with deep crimson eyes and short, tidy brown hair, dressed in a beige jacket, brown pants, a black shirt and black shoes. Some girls were looking at him with adoring eyes from their seats. Everyone knew who that young man was.

" _Kirishima Kaname-senpai._ " Satoshi thought " _He studies Law, while we study Anthropology, but he's quite popular among girls in the campus..._ "

"Man, I wish I had at least a quarter of that man's coolness!" Tsushima commented.

"I think every male student here would wish that, Tsushima..." Satoshi replied. Suzuki glanced at his girlfriend, almost as if he feared that the young man could snatch her away from him.

"Let's change topic." Tsushima embarrassedly said, before his voice took a more mysteriously excited tone "Have you heard the rumor?"

"Which rumor?" the amber-eyed youth asked curiously.

"They say Innocent World has a secret event which grants the players a 1 in a 10000 chance of being able to enter the world of the game!" his friend explained.

"Really?!" Satoshi exclaimed, stupefied.

"It can't be true, Tsushima!" Suzuki objected in disbelief "It's just a hoax."

"You sure about that?" his course mate cheekily replied "Some people in forums say they've begun experiencing strange stuff some time after they've begun playing, as if some invisible angel was helping them out." Those words struck Satoshi.

" _Does that mean that the bizarre occurrences of today are because of this event?_ " he wondered, thinking about the events that had happened to him, which matched with Tsushima's description. " _The toast, the lecture, the phone…_ _For how bizarre it is, it would make sense..._ "

"Yatsumura-kun, are you all right?" Nakahara asked, noticing his pensive mood.

"Oh, I'm all right, Nakahara-san!" the amber-eyed youth reassured her with a smile, making her smile back in relief.

"Man, it's getting hot, lately." Tsushima proposed. "I was thinking, we could fetch an ice cream after lunch! What do you guys think?"

"Count me in!" Satoshi replied eagerly.

"Fine by me!" Suzuki agreed.

"Yay! I'd love to!" Nakahara exclaimed excitedly.

Behind them, the black haired woman was sitting at a small table, enjoying her triple-flavored ice cream cone. Suddenly, one of the ice cream balls fell from the cone, but, before it could touch the ground, it returned on top of the cone in the blink of an eye, surrounded by an icy mist, as if it had just been removed from the freezer. The woman blinked repeatedly in disbelief, but then smiled and resumed eating her cone with gusto.


	2. Chapter 2: Watching Over Me

Chapter 2: Watching Over Me

After lunch, Satoshi and his course mates headed to the ice cream stand to have their own ice cream. Tsushima had a cone with two balls of stracciatella flavoured ice cream, Nakahara had a cone with strawberry and pistachio ice cream, Suzuki had an orange and pistachio ice cream cone, and Satoshi had a cone with two balls of dark chocolate flavoured ice cream.

"You really love dark chocolate, don't you, Yatsumura-kun?" Nakahara remarked with a giggle, as her friend took a bite of his tasty, dark brown ice cream.

"I really do!" Satoshi replied "It tastes heavenly! Not too sweet, not too bitter." As he spoke, the girl gave her boyfriend a taste of her own ice cream, who enjoyed the taste and smiled at her.

"I've heard that it's much less bad for the body than common milk chocolate." Suzuki added.

"Yeah, I've heard about that, too!" the amber-eyed youth nodded "That's why it's a bit of a family favourite." Suzuki smiled at the comment as he gave his girlfriend a taste of his ice cream. Nakahara took a bite of it and her eyes lit up as she tasted it.

"It's delicious!" she exclaimed in joy.

"Glad you like it." Suzuki replied, gazing at her lovingly as she looked back at him with adoring eyes.

"Isn't it the third time you've taken that flavour this week, though?" Tsushima asked his friend "Won't you get sick of it?"

"Don't think so." Satoshi shook his head. Then, he noticed a devious smirk on Tsushima's face and looked at him confusedly.

"Dark chocolate or not, I have no doubt you will be a sweet, sweet chocolate man to some lucky girl someday!" he winked at the amber-eyed youth, making him blush at the implications of his statement. Nakahara blushed as well in embarrassment, while her boyfriend got rather irritated with his course-mate's behaviour.

"Tsushima, you know you're gonna get a punch in the face someday for the stuff you say, right?" Suzuki said.

"Suzuki, you know I don't care one bit, right?" Tsushima made a comeback to which the other student could only sigh in annoyance. The four of them decided to head to the library to do some revision for the next lecture, the last of the week.

Meanwhile, in the Yamanote Inc. offices, a young man with short dark brown hair and deep brown eyes headed to the office of a colleague of his. He had finished a project and was ready to hand it to him before he finished his shift. He knocked at the door of the office.

"Come on in." the older colleague said. Then, he smiled upon seeing the young man, who quickly handed him the project. Upon receiving it, the man eyed the project carefully and looked very pleased with it.

"Excellent job, Amagai-kun." he praised his younger colleague "With this data, our new utility application should be ready for launch in two weeks."

"Thank you, doctor Yatsumura." the young man bowed respectfully "I'm glad my work proved useful." The older worker smiled at him.

"Tell me, Amagai-kun, do you have any plans for the weekend?" he asked him.

"Um..." Amagai scratched the back of his head while replying "I'm planning to attend Tokyo Game Show." The statement made doctor Yatsumura chuckle.

"I take it you're interested in Innocent World, aren't you?" the man said "Surely you must have heard about the department of our company working on the programming of its servers."

"Yes, Senpai." Amagai nodded.

"I wonder what the players think about it." doctor Yatsumura smiled warmly "It's a service we provide, after all."

"I'll make sure to tell you about the convention and the people visiting the stand." the young man promised, to which his older colleague's smile broadened.

"I would be very happy to know." he said "Who knows, maybe you'll meet my sons there."

"So you have children, senpai?" the young man asked out of curiosity.

"Two boys." doctor Yatsumura answered "The older one is attending university." Seeing his older colleague opening up to him, Amagai loosened up and a smile graced his own features.

"I would be glad to meet them one day, if not tomorrow." he replied.

"You know what, Amagai Shoya-kun?" doctor Yatsumura began in a more serious tone, making him stand at attention "I'm really proud of you. You're an excellent worker, but you don't neglect your life outside this building. You follow your passions and make the relationships you build with people inside and outside here count, and that is something I respect." He then beckoned him to lean closer, to which the young man obliged.

"Between me and you." he said "I think it's time for you to follow more than just your passions. To follow your heart, and maybe start a family. Go and look for a woman who will love you and make you the happiest man alive, and whom you, in turn, will make the happiest woman alive. I will be delighted to see what you will build, together with her."

"Doctor Yatsumura..." the young man could only utter. His chocolate-hued eyes were wide open and sparkling. His older colleague's warm and encouraging words left him speechless. The man smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Take it from a family man." he said "You might be wondering why I've decided to tell you this. You see, I had your age when I met the woman of my life, who is now the mother of these sons of mine we spoke of." Shoya smiled and bowed down with utmost gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Senpai!" he said "I'll keep it in mind." Doctor Yatsumura chuckled in response.

"Enjoy yourself tomorrow." he wished him.

"I will." Shoya replied before leaving the office and heading to the exit of the building.

At the campus, Satoshi and his course mates were in the computer room of the university library, reviewing material which was relevant to the topic of their next lecture. They had been there for a hour and a half. Eventually, the amber-eyed youth checked the time on his phone.

" _30 minutes until the start of the lecture..._ " he thought. He logged out of the system and got up from his place, having decided it was time to head to the place where the lesson would have been held. Quickly understanding his intentions, his course mates got up as well and followed him. Right in front of the computer room was located the university archive area. There, a woman with long black hair and deep blue eyes was printing archived projects and yearbooks of previous years and setting them in a dossier. A colleague of hers approached her.

"Hey, Miyuki-chan!" she cheerfully called, making her turn to her.

"Ah, Hiyori!" she smiled at her. "How are you?"

"I'm great, thank you!" she replied "What about you? What's the juice?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Miyuki replied "Sadly, I don't have anything new to say."

"Awww, come on! Not even a tiny little bit?" her colleague got closer to her "I've seen that many men in here have had their eyes on you, lately." her comment made the young woman blush darkly.

"C-Come on!" she protested "To talk about this is embarrassing..."

"Say, has anyone asked you out?" Hiyori asked. Her colleague, much to her chagrin, shook her head.

"Aww, how come?" she complained "Are they blind or what? You're not only gorgeous, but one of the smartest girls I've ever met!"

"H-Hiyori..." Miyuki uttered, still blushing madly.

"If you just put some thought in it, I'm sure you'll be married with kids in no time!" her colleague remarked confidently.

"I-Isn't it a little too soon to think about it?" the black-haired young woman objected, eliciting an amused giggle from her colleague.

"Well, yes and no." she replied "You need to look for a man who really loves you. Personally, I can't wait to see you with such a man." she got excited as she spoke, making Miyuki smile.

"Thank you, Hiyori." she said "I promise you I'll try."

"Trying is good, but doing is better." Hiyori replied. The conversation was then interrupted by a male voice's calling.

"Sazanami! Are you finished?" Miyuki and Hiyori heard, and the former quickly turned to the source of the voice.

"Yes, the dossier is complete!" she quickly replied.

"Perfect! Then place it in the archive." the man said "If you need the stepladder, you'll find it at your left, right after entering.", then he walked away. Miyuki walked to the area where the dossier shelves were lined up, holding the newly-filled dossier.

"Miyuki-chan!" Hiyori called her, making her look back. What the black-haired woman saw was her colleague grinning at her and giving her a thumbs up, to which she couldn't help but smile back before entering the archive.

She looked at the various shelves lined up until she found the spot in which the dossier had to be placed. Since it was high, she picked up the stepladder and placed it in front of the shelf before walking on top of it. She had to stand on her tiptoes in order to reach the place, but she eventually managed to place the dossier on the shelf, between two very similar dossiers.

"Phew..." she breathed out and stepped back, forgetting that she was on top of a stepladder, until the heel of her shoe reached the end of the ladder. She quickly lost her balance and fell back, but something stopped her from touching the ground.

"Huh?" She felt like someone had caught her and was holding her in bridal style, but there was no one she could see. In a moment, she found herself back on her feet, off the stepladder. After some seconds of blinking and registering what had just happened, Miyuki finally smiled to herself.

" _Looks like someone is watching over me today..._ " she thought while walking out of the archive area.

An hour and a half later, Satoshi and his course mates were at the entrance of the campus, having finished their lectures of the day, and waved to each other with beaming smiles before parting ways, their minds set on the wonderful weekend ahead of them. Satoshi knew exactly where to go.

" _Time to pick up Soukichi._ " he thought " _He should have finished his classes for the day as well._ " He walked the rather short distance between the campus and the high school in which his younger brother studied, and found him waiting for him. Upon seeing his brother, the shorter boy's eyes lit up and he began walking to him.

"Hey, Nii-san!" he called, smiling.

"Hey, Soukichi!" he replied in kind, a smile on his face as well. As soon as they reached each other, the brothers bro-fisted and began walking side by side, heading to the closest underground station.

"So, how did the day go?" the older amber-eyed youth asked.

"Let me tell you, the lessons were a bit of a pain, but I managed!" his brother replied proudly "And what about you?"

"It went well." he replied "Even though the first lecture of the day was held by a boring lecturer..."

"Yay!" Soukichi cheered "At least I'm not the only one who has suffered today!" The statement made both the brothers laugh.

"Not at all!" Satoshi added as his laughter slowly quieted down. "So, what's the juice?"

"You first." Soukichi objected.

"Well, I've chatted with my friends." the amber-eyed youth said "Some of them play Innocent World, while others don't."

"I bet you still know more players than me!" his younger brother replied. "The only people who have even heard about that game in my school are the third-years, and only a few of them actually play it."

"Well, we know why most people don't play online games, remember?" Satoshi reminded his brother of the conversation they had before the lessons.

"It doesn't help that much, you know?" Soukichi replied.

"But hey, you managed to find some players in your school!" his older brother insisted "That's still awesome!"

"And quite the achievement, considering I was beginning to lose hope!" the short boy remarked. And so they began chatting while walking on their way to the station.

"Say, Soukichi..." Satoshi asked, at a certain point of the conversation "Have you heard of the secret event?"

"Nope." his little brother replied "What is it?"

"It's a rumor which has spread in the Innocent World community lately." the amber-eyed youth explained "Basically, they say that there's a secret event which grants players a 1 in a 10000 chance of entering Terra, the world of the game!"

"Wow! That sounds awesome!" Soukichi replied, his excitement rising and falling like a mount "Too bad it also sounds… Not possible."

"Normally it would, but there's more!" his older brother said "Some people have reported that they have been experiencing… Bizarre occurrences some time after they've begun playing the game."

"Like?" Soukichi urged his brother to speak, his interest peaked. Satoshi obliged, recalling some strange occurrences he had taken the liberty to look up on forums, using the computer of the university

"There was one player who was about to get struck by a car when a mysterious force had pushed him out of the way and on the sidewalk before it happened. Another one was about to have a pizza in a hurry before he headed out for an important meeting, but he found the pizza already hot and ready to be eaten in the blink of an eye. Long story short, all of these occurrences had one thing in common: people have been helped or protected in all cases."

"You sure these are not lies?" the shorter boy asked, still doubting the truth of this rumor.

"Yes, because it has happened to me, too!" Satoshi said.

"What?! Are you serious?" Soukichi exclaimed in shock and disbelief.

"Yes!" the amber-eyed youth confirmed "As I said earlier, the first lecture of the day was held by a boring lecturer. I had to listen to him for two hours straight."

"And?" Soukichi waited for his brother to continue, and so he did.

"Right when I was about to give up and lose track of the lesson, I felt something jolting inside me and I was able to endure the plainness and understand the lecture."

"Wow! I would say that's quite the feat!" the shorter boy commented, impressed "And I think that's saying something."

"But that's not all!" Satoshi said, making his brother look at him in shock "I had also forgotten to charge my phone, and as a result the battery was pretty low. But it didn't run out of juice in those two hours. It did the opposite! When I checked the phone after the lecture, the battery was at full charge!"

"That's crazy!" Soukichi exclaimed, but then his expression turned into a mischievous smirk "If you're not pulling a bald one on me, that is!"

"Not at all!" the amber-eyed youth assured "In fact, there's one last thing that had happened before all of the happenings I've just talked about."

"There is?" his brother asked, and he, once again, confirmed.

"Yes. It happened this morning and you were there, too. Let's just say it had something to do with food, like the pizza one."

"This morning? Something to do with food? What are you-" Suddenly, Soukichi's eyes widened and he let in a slow and intense gasp as he realized what his older brother was talking about. "You don't mean…?"

"Yes, I do." Satoshi nodded, quickly understanding and confirming the conclusion he had reached, which was spoken by both, at the same time.

"Your toast." "MY TOAST!"

"It was supposed to be burnt, but it wasn't. Remember?" Satoshi added, and his brother was overwhelmed with stupor and awe as all of his doubts were swept away by these revelations.

"That's… Out of this world! I don't know what to say!" he exclaimed. "It's like someone is watching over us!"

"Exactly!" Satoshi nodded, as his tone became thoughtful "But why us? And how can we be sure that this is related to the game?" Soukichi's expression switched from stupefied to thoughtful as well in hearing his brother's musings.

"I… I don't know..." he murmured.

"Soukichi..." Satoshi concluded "Somehow… I think we'll find out the answer to these questions soon."

"Nii-san..." his little brother added, looking at him "Now that you mention it… I feel the same!"

"You do?" Satoshi asked.

"Either that or I'm just excited for tomorrow!" Soukichi's final statement on the topic made both the youths laugh heartily as they entered the underground station.

Meanwhile, in another area of the city, Shoya Amagai was in the gym, working out after his day in office. He went there regularly, to keep himself fit. While he was working out, doctor Yatsumura's warm words were constantly on his mind, along with something else.

" _I was about to miss my bus to the office, this morning._ " he thought " _But, somehow, I found myself in it in the blink of an eye. I don't know how it happened, but I'm glad it did. It's like… Someone is watching over me today..._ "

The last exercise of the day was weightlifting. Shoya got on the barbell bench and put his hands on the barbell, with heavy weights attached to its ends, then he attempted to lift it repeatedly. At first, he only managed to move it slightly, but what happened after a few lifts was something he would have never expected. Abruptly, he felt as if the barbell was as light as a feather and stretched his arms above his head, throwing it up in the process. The barbell broke through the ceiling of the gym before stopping about a meter above it, and an astonished Shoya quickly moved away as it fell back on the gym floor, leaving a crack on it.

"Wh-what?" he uttered. The other people in the gym were shocked by what they had witnessed as well, their expressions resembling a fish out of water.

"What just happened?!" one exclaimed

"How did you do that?!" another one exclaimed, as Shoya awkwardly scratched the back of his head, looking at the result of his unexpected action: an enormous gaping hole on the ceiling and some flickering lights.

"This is something you don't see everyday..." the astonished gym coach said, walking close to the young man, who quickly turned to him and repeatedly bowed down in apology.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I promise I'll pay you back!" he said, but, when he stopped bowing, he saw the coach smiling.

"No need to, my friend. I've got this covered." he assured. "Only, next time you get this strong, tell me in advance!" he chuckled.

"B-But I made this mess, to pay back is the least I should do!" Shoya protested.

"I said, no need to!" the coach assured "Don't worry!" Eventually, the young man stopped trying to persuade the coach and looked back at the hole.

" _Now that someone has either made a mistake or played a prank on me..._ " he couldn't help but think.


	3. Chapter 3: New Application

Chapter 3: New Application

Satoshi and Soukichi Yatsumura had reached the area where their house was located through the underground. They chatted about various topics while walking out of the station and towards their home.

"I've gotta say, Nii-san..." Soukichi said "This Tsushima guy seems like an awesome guy from what you've said." His comment made his older brother chuckle.

"Well, he is similar to you, in some ways..." the amber-eyed youth mused.

"The only catch is that he teases you." his amber-eyed younger sibling said "That's not cool! If I catch him teasing you, he's gonna hear from me a great, big "Not cool, bro!"" His statement won him another chuckle by Satoshi.

"I agree with him on one thing, though." Soukichi commented, a smirk making its way on his face. "You really need a girlfriend." Hearing those words, his older brother blushed darkly.

"Come on, Nii-san!" he insisted, still smirking mischievously "You're, for all intents and purposes, the typical gentleman! You're the prince charming every girl could dream of! I'm already seeing you with an amazing girlfriend, your perfect match!"

"Knock it off already!" Satoshi said, still blushing "Now you're the one who's teasing me!"

"Sorry, but you know I'm telling the truth!" Soukichi winked at his brother.

"Soukichi..." the amber-eyed youth sighed, still blushing "Anyway, Tsushima's teasing is nothing different from yours, so I would save the "Not cool bro" for something really uncool, if I were you."

"Fair enough." Soukichi concluded, and both the brothers laughed happily as they walked. Eventually, they reached their house, but, right before entering, Soukichi glanced behind him and saw a bus. The very same young man he had seen that morning left the bus in front of his eyes and began walking away, most likely in the direction of his home. As he passed in front of a house, a tiny dog, belonging to the man living in it, began barking at him. The young man smiled at it in response and went on his way.

"We're back!" Satoshi and Soukichi said in unison as they entered the house.

"Sato-chan! Sou-chan!" Their mother walked to them, greeting them with a warm smile on her face. A man was accompanying her.

"Welcome home." the man said to the two youths, who immediately recognized him.

"Dad!" Soukichi exclaimed, enthusiastically.

"Hello, dad!" Satoshi greeted his parent, with a smile, to which the man smiled back.

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour." the woman said to her sons. "We can't wait to hear how did your day go!"

"Same here!" Satoshi replied with a smile. "We'll be waiting to hear how Dad's day at work was." The youth's statement won him a chuckle from his father as he went upstairs with his brother. They decided to have a quick gaming session on Innocent World.

"Say, Nii-san..." Soukichi suggested while the two were facing a boss "Do you think we should tell mom and dad about the strange things that have happened today?"

"No..." Satoshi replied "It's true that dad works in the company that handles the game's programming, but that won't guarantee he'll believe our words..."

"You might be right about that..." the youngest of the Yatsumura brothers concluded, before his full focus returned on the game. Eventually, the two managed to take the boss down.

"Sato-chan! Sou-chan! Dinner's ready!" In the instant the boss's HP reached 0, their mother called from downstairs.

"Coming!" Satoshi replied to her, as he and Soukichi quickly took the loot for the victory before logging out.

"Now that's what I call a perfect timing!" Soukichi couldn't help but comment on the time their mother called.

"Yeah, really!" Satoshi agreed. Then, both of them quickly headed downstairs where their parents and their food were waiting. As the brothers sat down, their parents smiled warmly at them, and they smiled back. Everyone clasped their hands, as if in prayer, before digging in.

"Itadakimasu!" they said, then, the family began having their dinner, chatting in the meantime.

"Honey, you won't believe what happened this morning, after you went away!" Doctor Yatsumura's wife said, an excited smile on her face.

"Hm? What happened?" he asked curiously, smiling at her.

"You know how Sou-chan loves toasts, right?" she explained "I made him one this morning, then I ended up forgetting about it later on, but when I remembered, the slice of bread was perfectly toast! Even though it was supposed to be burnt to a crisp!" Hearing the astonishing news, Doctor Yatsumura's eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled.

"Maybe you were just lucky enough to pull it out in the nick of time, sweetheart." her husband remarked "That, or the gods of food have been benevolent with us today!"

"I think I'll go for the latter!" Soukichi said, raising his hand, which aroused the laughter of all the family, despite hinting at a strange truth.

"Tell me, boys, how did your day go?" Doctor Yatsumura asked to his sons once the laughter subsided.

"It went just fine!" Soukichi said, confidently.

"Just fine, but could have been a little bit better." Satoshi replied, in a calmer tone, but still with a smile on his face "You see, for the first lecture of the day we had to endure one of our most boring lecturers we have..."

"That's a shame! One should be leaving work with a smile, especially on Fridays!" Doctor Yatsumura commented "At least, did the rest of the day go better?" he then asked, with some hope in his voice.

"Of course it did!" Satoshi nodded "The rest of the day was wonderful! I chatted with my friends and had my second lecture with a better professor."

"That's good." Doctor Yatsumura smiled.

"Lucky you!" Soukichi remarked "All of our teachers are boring as hell!" The amber-eyed youth laughed at his younger brother's remark.

"Come on, there must be someone who at least bores you less than the others!" he said.

"Well… Honestly, if I had to pick one better than the others, that would be the ICT lecturer…" Soukichi replied, after some seconds of thinking.

"See?" Satoshi smiled. Their mother patted the shorter boy's head lovingly, making him laugh.

"If you do it well, you might be working in Yamanote, too, when you grow up!" she said.

"That would be awesome!" Soukichi exclaimed in excitement.

"Speaking of which, how did your day go, dad?" Satoshi asked his father.

"Yes, did the day leave a smile on your face, honey?" the man's wife added, to which Doctor Yatsumura nodded.

"It sure did." he replied "I've been watching over an excellent young man." He then turned to his sons "He'll be going to the Tokyo Game Show as well, tomorrow!"

"Really?!" both the brothers exclaimed in unison, to which the man nodded calmly, with a smile on his face.

"Yes." he confirmed "Like you, he's a fan of Innocent World. I'm sure you'll like him."

"I'm looking forward to meeting him, if tomorrow we'll have the chance!" Satoshi smiled happily.

"Me too!" Soukichi smiled excitedly, which made Doctor Yatsumura chuckle.

"You know, darling..." he then said, as he turned to his beloved wife "Lately, when I see him, I can't help but picture him with a woman by his side, maybe even kids..." The woman smiled at her husband's musings.

"I feel the same whenever I see Sato-chan..." the remark made the amber-eyed youth blush and his younger brother smirk.

"I know right?" Soukichi added "I've been telling him on our way here!"

"Soukichi, please..." the young man murmured, turning to his brother and arousing laughter in everyone once more.

"Satoshi." eventually, Doctor Yatsumura called his eldest son's attention. "Believe me, my boy, when I tell you that you will know when you will have found the one for you." His son smiled at the truthful statement.

"Thank you, dad." he replied earnestly "I'll keep that in mind." He knew how intense the love between his parents was. His wish of having a fulfilling relationship like theirs was no secret, hence the teasing from his brother and some of his friends. In seeing his older brother's eyes sparkling, Soukichi's smirk evolved in a grin.

Eventually, the dinner came to an end.

"Gochisousama deshita!" everyone said upon finishing eating. Soukichi headed upstairs while Satoshi decided to stay and help their mother with cleaning the dishes.

"Sato-chan, you know that Sou-chan only means well when he teases you like that, right?" the woman asked her son.

"I know..." the amber-eyed youth sighed "But I can't help but feel embarrassed when he brings up such a topic like that… Besides, it's not like he's the only one to tease me like that..." His mother giggled at the remark.

"Well, you have always been a little romantic..." she smiled, then she began reminiscing of the first times this tendency of his showed up "I still remember when you asked me how I met your father..."

"I was still in middle school, back then..." Satoshi mused "Unlike me, Soukichi was not interested."

"Who knows..." the woman concluded "Maybe, one day, he will pick it up from you..."

"Maybe..." the amber-eyed youth smiled to himself. It didn't take long for him and his mother to finish washing the dishes. Once work was done, Satoshi decided to join his younger brother upstairs. His parents saw him off with a smile as he got up the stairs.

"Hey, Nii-san!" Soukichi excitedly greeted him. "Ready to get back in game?"

"All right." his older brother agreed, plugging earphones to his phone. Both the brothers turned on their computers and began their gaming session, while the older one began playing music on his phone in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Miyuki Sazanami was at home, having eaten a home-cooked meal coupled with some surprisingly good-quality supermarket sushi. She was lying on her bed, reading a novel. She was deeply engrossed in the book until her mobile phone began ringing, signaling an incoming call. The young woman picked up the phone and answered the call.

"Hello?" she said, then, she heard a warm and familiar voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hello, Miyuki-chan!" an older woman said "How are you faring?" The sound of her voice made a smile bloom on Miyuki's features.

"Oh, hello mom!" she replied "I'm doing well, thank you! How are you doing?"

"Oh, it's going as smoothly as usual, dear." her mother answered, with a chuckle, before asking her "How's life in the library?" The raven-haired woman couldn't help but laugh at the question, at the way her mother defined her job.

"It's great!" Miyuki replied "Better than I imagined. Time flies when I'm at work."

"Do what you like, and you won't have to work a day in your life..." the older woman mused. "I'm so proud of you, and of how far you've come."

"You know I would not be here if it wasn't for you, mom." the raven-haired woman said, as her smile grew wider, winning a chuckle from her mother "And I'm not planning to stop on my tracks." she added, a hint of determination audible in her voice.

"That's my girl." the older woman said, before asking her daughter another question "Tell me, have you found a man?" Miyuki laughed at the question, a blush adorning her cheeks.

"Believe me, you're not the only one to ask me that." she answered "My friends at the university ask me at least once everyday!"

"They don't want you to let your guard down!" her mother's statement aroused laughter in the one who spoke it, as well as in the one who heard it.

"Remember, love comes around when you least expect it." the older woman said to her daughter, in a slightly more serious, but still serene tone "Live your life to the fullest and don't stop in your tracks. That way, you will be ready when it comes."

"Thank you, mom." Miyuki nodded "I'll keep that in mind."

"Have a good night, Miyuki-chan!" her mother finally wished her.

"Good night, mom!" Miyuki replied. with that, both the callers hung up at the same time. The raven-haired woman gazed at the screen of her phone for a moment, with a smile on her face, before resuming reading her novel.

After swiftly reading through a chapter, Miyuki decided to take a break, put a bookmark at the page she had reached, closed the book and put it away, then she opened the Innocent World app on her phone.

Some minutes of gaming passed, then the phone buzzed while Miyuki was playing and a notification appeared.

"A new app has been installed: [CUBE]"

" _Cube? I don't ever recall buying or even looking for that app in the store..._ " she thought, deciding to quit the game and look at the app, out of curiosity. As she opened the app, a crystal blue cube appeared on the screen, its faces looking like mosaics. In that moment, a bright pink light began shining in front of the blue-eyed woman. Once the light subsided, Miyuki noticed a form which was familiar to her: a little girl with long, pink twintails, floating in the air and holding a magical staff in her hand.

"A-Aren't you… Merrilee?" Miyuki stuttered, instantly recognizing the form. The girl smiled, hearing her own name.

"Why, yes!" she confirmed, with a cheery voice "How did you know?" Her reply left the young woman even more stupefied and confused.

"H-How are you here?" she asked, still thunderstruck.

"It's simple, really!" Merrilee smiled "The Cube of Gaia has brought me to you! I'm meant to be by your side!" Upon hearing her explanation, Miyuki glanced at the screen of her phone, still showing the crystal blue cube, and showed it to her.

"D-Do you mean this cube?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yes, that!" the little girl nodded, smiling as her eyes began sparkling "What a great day! Today we finally meet each other!" Miyuki slowly recovered from her stupor and managed to reply back to her.

"N-Nice to meet you, Merrilee-chan..." she said "I suppose you already know my name, right?"

"Of course I do, Miyuki-chan!" the little girl happily replied, before remembering something she wanted to ask her "Oh, by the way, I see you have some apples in a room close by and..." she began blushing as she continued "They look so tasty! Can I please have one?" Miyuki smiled at her floating companion.

"Sure you can, Merrilee-chan!" she replied, making Merrilee jump up in the air in joy.

"Yaaay! Thank you so much!" she then hurried to the kitchen to fetch her apple as Miyuki's smile grew wider.

"You're just as adorable as I remember..." she mused.

Meanwhile, Satoshi and Soukichi Yatsumura were engaged in their gaming session. The former was listening to music on his phone while playing.

"Say, Nii-san…" the younger boy asked his older brother "What were you and mom talking about, downstairs?"

"Oh, not much really." Satoshi was able to hear the question and answer him, despite using earphones "Just about how much I'm prone to teasing from you..." The reply made Soukichi chuckle.

"Well, I just can't resist!" Soukichi replied, with a chuckle. "For starters, you're a bit of a hopeless romantic. You try not to bring it up that often, but it's quite easy to see that you're there, waiting for the big one~" The amber-eyed youth began blushing at his brother's remarks.

"Yeah, we talked about that, too." he replied.

"Besides, you have a dreamy face that is basically inviting me to tease you!" he said "And to see your reaction to my comments is always priceless!"

"Am I really that entertaining?" Satoshi asked, in disbelief and embarassment.

"Definitely!" Soukichi nodded, a grin on his face "You should be proud of it! You have more chances to catch the ladies' attention!"

"K-Knock it off already!" Satoshi retorted, blushing deeper. It was then that he felt the music on his phone lower in volume and his phone buzz. He looked at the screen and noticed that there was a notification.

"A new app has been installed: [CUBE]"

"What is it, Nii-san?" Soukichi asked him, noticing the shift of his attention.

"I've got a strange notification on my phone..." Satoshi replied, showing the message to his brother. It was then that the younger boy felt his own phone buzzing in the pocket of his pants. He fished it out and checked it, noticing that he had the very same notification.

"Now that you mention it, I have it too..." he said.

"I don't recall taking an app with this title before..." Satoshi said, disbelief audible in his tone, along with a hint of suspicion.

"Yeah, me neither..." his brother replied. He looked at the icon of the new app and noticed that it had the familiar image of a cube on it, just as its name implied.

"This cube is too familiar..." Soukichi said, before turning to Satoshi "Nii-san, I think we should open it."

"Yeah, I'm having the same feeling..." the amber-eyed youth nodded, looking back at him. Then, both opened the mysterious app and were stupefied by seeing a rotating, crystal blue, cube-like object appearing on the screen, its faces looking like mosaics.

"This… This is the Cube of Gaia!" Soukichi exclaimed! "It's the object the lore of Innocent World is based around!"

"Is this part of the secret event?" Satoshi couldn't help but wonder "So the rumours were true..." As the amber-eyed boy finished speaking, two lights began to shine brilliantly behind the brothers, who quickly turned around. They had to look away due to the brightness of the light, but, once it had subsided, they were able to see a small orange dragon with red eyes, and a young man with electric blue hair and amber eyes, dressed in a battle armor and with blue bandages wrapped around his left arm. The brothers were thunderstruck, quickly recognizing the creatures.

"T-Tyr?!" Satoshi exclaimed in stupor, gazing at the blue-haired young man

"Yes, that's me." he replied

"G-Grimm?!" Soukichi exclaimed, as Tyr finished his sentence.

"Hehe, surprised?" The little dragon chuckled.

"Y-Yeah, we really are..." the youngest of the Yatsumura brothers replied, eliciting a chuckle from the young warrior as well.

"We can understand it." Tyr said.

"If the two of us are here with you, it's thanks to the Cube of Gaia!" Grimm explained, making the brothers gaze at the screens of their phones, on which the crystal blue cube was still visible.

"Incredible..." they murmured in unison.


	4. Chapter 4: Another World

Chapter 4: Another World

After taking an apple from the kitchen, Merrilee hurried back to where Miyuki was and began happily munching it.

"Mmm, it's delicious!" she smiled with sparkling eyes, after taking a bite, only to munch on it once more. This made the raven-haired woman chuckle.

"Glad you like it." the woman said. After the little girl had her snack, she spoke once more.

"So, the Cube of Gaia appeared in front of me, one day..." she began explaining "I could see a person in it. That person was you."

"It was me?" Miyuki asked, in stupor "Do you mean that this Cube of Gaia has chosen me?"

"Yes, that's it!" Merrilee nodded. "And I have been chosen to be your companion! Isn't that great?"

"I would say that I've never expected such a thing to happen..." Miyuki said "But that would be an understatement..."

"I can completely understand!" Merrilee replied "To have a companion not from Terra, but from another world, goes beyond my wildest dreams!" she then recalled something else she had to say "Oh, speaking of which, it took me some time to reach you, but I was so happy when I did!"

"You reached me?" the blue-eyed woman asked.

"Yes!" the girl with pink twintails happily nodded. "I was able to help you out! Like with that ice cream ball! Putting it back in place was really child's play for me, since ice is my element! Tee-hee!" Upon hearing her speak, Miyuki understood that she was behind the bizarre occurrences that happened to her during the day.

"So you were the one watching over me, today!" she exclaimed.

"Yes!" she nodded "I even managed to stop you from falling, by freezing the air under you."

"Oh..." the young woman blushed, recalling that moment. "When that happened, it almost felt like someone was holding me and carrying me..."

"No way! Really?" Merrilee exclaimed, her eyes sparkling and a blush adorning her own cheeks "Awww, that's so romantic!" She then cast her eyes downwards apologetically. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you about it, though… I feel like I've ruined this sweet thought of yours..." she let out a sigh.

"No, no, no! It's totally fine!" Miyuki quickly replied, smiling warmly "Thank you for helping me, Merrilee-chan!" The little girl looked back up at her and smiled once more

"Don't mention it!" she happily replied "We're partners now, Miyuki-chan! And partners always help each other!" The statement aroused laughter in both her and the young woman she had just called "Partner".

"Well, I'm glad to have you as my partner!" Miyuki replied, with a warm smile, making the little girl blush once more.

"Aww, you're gonna make me blush!" she replied, then she recalled something else Miyuki had to know "Oh, but there's more!" The raven-haired woman set all her attention on what her new little friend had to say.

"The Cube of Gaia will allow you to enter its world!" Merrilee explained. "It will also tell you how! Look at that shiny mirror-like thingy you're holding and you'll see what I mean!" Miyuki looked at the screen of her phone and noticed a question mark on its upper right corner. Most likely a help button. She pressed it and, after reading the help pop-up she saw, she quickly checked her phone's settings regarding the mysterious application.

" _This cube seems to be linked to my phone's clock by default..._ " she noticed. Merrilee moved next to her and looked at the screen alongside her.

"The Cube is linked to this world's time." she remarked "Good, now all you have to do is touch it. That way, you will be able to reach another world! A world which is said has been created by the Cube itself!" Miyuki was increasingly stupefied by what she had seen and what the little girl had told her. Excitement and curiosity began welling up inside her.

" _According to the app's help pop-up, I should be able to return here whenever I want to, in the instant I touched the cube, regardless of the time I'll spend in… Terra._ " she thought, recalling a name she had read in the pop-up, which she had assumed being the name of the other world Merrilee had mentioned.

"You know, Merrilee-chan..." she said, looking at her partner with a smile "I'm beginning to feel like checking this out."

"Then let's do this!" Merrilee, exclaimed excitedly and confidently "Of course, I'll be with you every step of the way!" Miyuki laughed softly at her friend's statement. There was nothing more she needed to hear. Whichever hesitation was left in her had faded upon seeing Merrilee's confident aura.

In the instant she tapped on the crystal blue cube, a brilliant blue light began to shine from the screen of the phone…

Meanwhile, Satoshi and Soukichi Yatsumura were face to face with creatures they had only seen in their favourite game, in their room. Tyr and Grimm were standing before them.

"Perhaps you're wondering how we are here..." Tyr said "Well, it's simple: the Cube of Gaia has chosen the two of you to bear its power, and has brought us to you."

"I couldn't have said it better!" Grimm excitedly said. The brothers looked at each other in disbelief, then their eyes went back to their two unusual guests.

"We don't know what to say..." Satoshi murmured, still gobsmacked, making Tyr chuckle.

"It's all right." Tyr said. "It's not everyday you see a dragon in your world, much less the One-Handed God of War!" His tone became increasingly confident while he spoke those words.

"Sadly, we couldn't reach out to you right away..." Grimm explained "But when we did, it was great! We could be with you and help you out!"

"Help out?" Soukichi asked, looking at Grimm, his eyes widening in realization. "So you're the one who unburned my toast, somehow!"

"Yep, that's me!" Grimm replied, excitedly and confidently "You don't give my new friend badly cooked food!"

"Wow, that was amazing! Thank you so much!" the youngest of the Yatsumura brothers said.

"Don't mention it, friend!" Grimm smiled, making both him and the amber-eyed boy chuckle.

"I'm betting the sight of our shock was something to see!" Soukichi remarked, still laughing.

"It sure was!" Grimm retorted, laughing as well. Hearing their conversation, Satoshi quickly understood that it was Tyr who had helped him as well, reaching out to him, and looked at him.

"Tyr, if it's you who helped me and charged my phone up back in the campus, I owe you two!" he said, earnestly and gratefully.

"Yes, it was me." Tyr confirmed "There's no need to thank me. As a god, and as your Eidolon, it's my duty to help you."

"I insist." Satoshi firmly said, which slightly took Tyr aback. Then, a smile appeared on the youth's face.

"Thank you." he said, to which Tyr blushed slightly, out of embarrassment and uncertainty.

"I-If you insist..." he said, looking away "I-It's my pleasure..." His embarrassed reaction made Soukichi and Grimm chuckle.

"Yep, this guy is definitely your partner, Nii-san!" the amber-eyed boy remarked, making Satoshi blush a bit as well.

"Hey!" Tyr retorted "You shouldn't shame your older brother like this!"

"H-He's pretty much always like this..." the amber-eyed youth explained, stopping him from saying anything else "Banters like this are common between us."

"They are?" the blue-haired warrior asked his partner, to which Satoshi nodded.

"Think of it as a brotherly tradition." he said.

"As long as it doesn't bother you." Tyr accepted his partner's resolution. Soukichi and Grimm grinned at them before turning back to each other.

"So, it's nice to meet you, Grimm!" the former excitedly said "I take it you already know my name..."

"Yep." Grimm nodded, smiling "But it's still awesome to bump into you, Soukichi!" Satoshi and Tyr were looking at the two of them while they introduced themselves to each other.

"Grimm's right, Satoshi." Tyr commented, turning to his partner and making him turn to him as well "We already know your names. There's not much need for presentations, here."

"I guess so." the amber-eyed youth replied "I'm happy to have you as my partner, Tyr." The earnest statement made Tyr look away, unsure about how to respond.

"O-Of course, you should be grateful!" he attempted to reply, trying to sound imposing, but his embarrassment was betrayed by the wavering of his tone.

" _He tries too hard._ " Soukichi thought, looking at how he acted, and smiled at himself " _Nothing that my brother can't solve._ " Then, he turned to Grimm.

"So..." he asked, showing the crystal blue cube on his smartphone's screen "What's with this, again?" The dragon's eyes sparkled in seeing it.

"That's the Cube of Gaia." he explained "It's what has brought us to you!"

"It will also bring you to another world, a world which is said to have been created by the Cube itself!" Tyr added.

"The secret event is real..." Satoshi murmured in realization, his eyes open wide.

"What did you say?" Grimm asked, not having understood the amber-eyed youth's words. Tyr was standing at attention, too.

"Oh!" Satoshi realized he had to explain, and spoke "Someone has spread rumors about something that would allow the players to go to another world..."

"They knew?!" Grimm exclaimed in shock.

"Hold on, Grimm!" Soukichi quickly stopped the little dragon from jumping to conclusions "We don't know if the one who did it meant it as a prank or not."

"Perhaps we'll find out something about this if we take this chance..." Satoshi mused.

"Yes, perhaps..." Tyr agreed with his partner's idea.

"I'm already getting excited about this!" the youngest of the Yatsumura brothers exclaimed, excitedly "This is the dream of any Innocent World player!"

"Me too!" his older brother replied, no less excited "My anthropologist's sixth sense is calling out to me!"

"Ant-what?" Grimm asked, confused by the word.

"Someone who studies myths." Satoshi quickly explained "I'm studying to become one."

"Well, I don't care that much…" Tyr said "But you would surely find plenty of mythos to study, in Terra..." Grimm flew next to his partner and looked at the screen of his phone.

"Now you just need to search for what will tell you how to use the Cube." he said.

" _A help button, then?_ " Soukichi thought, looking at the screen and finding a question mark button " _Could it be this one?_ " Seeing his brother's actions, Satoshi looked as well on his screen and found the question mark button. Both the brothers tapped on the button and a pop-up message appeared, with instructions written on it.

"The Cube of Gaia needs to be in contact with the time of your world, through your device. Make sure of it." one of the instructions said.

" _Does this mean that the app should have access to the clock of our phones?_ " Satoshi wondered as both he and his brother checked their phone's settings regarding the mysterious application. Much to their surprise, they noticed that the app was already linked to their clocks by default.

" _Looks like it's all set..._ " Soukichi thought. With that settled, they went back to [CUBE] and its digital instruction sheet, and read the next instructions.

"Upon making sure the Cube has access to your time, touch it, and you will be transported to Terra." the instructions explained "Whenever you want to put an end to your visit, talk with the Eidolon accompanying you and it will show you a small object, fully resembling the Cube. Touch it, and you will return to your world. Thanks to the link with the time of your world, the time of your return will be the same as the time of the start of your visit, regardless of how much your stay lasted." Baffled by these instructions, Satoshi turned towards his partner.

"When we get back to our world..." he asked "Do we really get back at the same time we entered Terra, regardless of the time we spent there?"

"Yes." Tyr nodded, giving an affirmative answer "That is something the Cube can do."

" _Well, that would explain why access to our clocks is needed to use it.._ " he thought.

"I've gotta say, Soukichi..." Grimm remarked, amazed by the device held by his partner "This mirror-like thingy you're using looks really cool!"

"I know, right?" Soukichi smiled at the little dragon "It's called a smartphone, we do lots of things with it! I'll tell you on the go."

"That would be awesome!" Grimm said, becoming increasingly excited. "Oooooh, this is the start of a big adventure! I'm so excited!"

"Me too!" Soukichi excitedly replied "This is a one-in-a-lifetime chance!"

"But it makes you wonder..." Satoshi mused "What is the reason behind this event? How can our world be linked with the Cube and its world?"

"I don't know." Tyr answered his partner's questions "But I think that for now it would be best to take the chance you have in front of you. I will always be there for you, and who knows, maybe you'll find the answer to these questions."

"Thank you, Tyr." Satoshi smiled, making Tyr slightly blush in embarrassment once more "I agree with you, and I'm willing to give it a try." He then turned to his brother "Soukichi!"

"Yes!" He nodded, with decision. They held their phones in front of them, ready to tap on the crystal blue cube.

"At three." Satoshi said, beginning to count down "One… Two..."

"Three!" At Soukichi's sudden signal, both the brothers tapped on the Cube and an intense blue light began shining from the screens of their smartphones. In the blink of an eye, the two gamers found themselves engulfed by that light.

After mere moments, the brothers found themselves in a vast green plain, with some hills spring here and there. The first thing they did was looking for each other.

"Soukichi?" Satoshi called from the spot he had landed on. "Soukichi, where are you?"

"Nii-san!" his younger brother called back, having heard his voice "Nii-san! I'm right here!" The amber-eyed youth turned back and was relieved to find Soukichi sitting there, with Grimm flying by his side. By looking around some more, he noticed Tyr standing by his side and offering him his hand to help him up. He smiled at him and took his hand, getting back on his feet with his aid. Both the brothers looked around, stunned by the view around them.

They had been transported to a vast, green plain, divided by a fall. At one side of the fall, a high waterfall was visible, which meant that a flow of water lied at the bottom of the fall. The The beginnings of a forest were to be seen at one end of the plain, while at the other end was visible a town, most likely a coastal one. High curved cliffs could be seen in the distance.

"It's… Breathtaking..." Satoshi said, bewildered by the scenario which was unfolded before him and his brother. Soukichi was breathless and couldn't do anything but agree with a nod and a hum of approval.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" Tyr commented, to which Satoshi smiled.

"Heh, it sure is!" the amber-eyed youth nodded. His younger brother turned his gaze to the coastal town and boiled with excitement upon seeing it.

"Hey! We've even winded up close to a town!" he said "How awesome is that!" Satoshi quickly turned towards the direction where his brother was looking and noticed the entrance to the coastal town.

"That's great!" he agreed with his little brother "At least we have a starting point."

"You can say that again." Tyr agreed "The first thing we should do is to go there and get to talk with the citizens. That would definitely help us getting a better grasp of this world." Satoshi nodded in agreement, listening to his Eidolon's advice "And if there's anything we can help with, it'll be even better!"

"Why am I feeling something on my back..." Soukichi wondered out loud, feeling a weight on his back.

"Now that you mention it..." Satoshi notices that he had weights hanging from his belt. He looked down and noticed that he was wearing different, more medieval-looking clothes, and that two katanas, still in their scabbards, were hanging at his sides.

"I… I have two swords!" he exclaimed in stupor. He drew both the blades and found that he had little to no difficulty in wielding them. "They're not even that heavy!" In the meantime, his younger brother had managed to grasp his own weapon, and was left speechless by it.

"It's… It's… It's a cannon!" he shouted excitedly. "I… I don't even have any words to tell how awesome this is!"

"Oh yeah!" Grimm shared his master's excitement "With that, you'll fight baddies and look good while doing it!"

"The Cube of Gaia has given you the type of weapon most suited to you." Tyr explained "Satoshi, if you have the twin blades, that means you will be able to use them better than any other kind of weapon." These words prompted Satoshi to picture his character in-game while he was fighting. His avatar was a Duelist and wielded dual katanas, just as he did. With that image in mind, he began to skillfully swing the blades around and turning them in his hands.

"Wow..." he murmured breathlessly, surprised by his own skill.

"See what I meant?" Tyr smiled. "You're pretty good with those! And I'm guessing this is the first time wielding a weapon for both of you."

"Actually, it is!" Satoshi confirmed.

"So, what should we do now?" Soukichi asked.

"First of all, we need to get a good grasp of where we are." Tyr suggested.

"Agreed." Satoshi replied, accepting his partner's suggestion "To start from that town over there would be a good idea. We might even find other players like us, there…"

"Ooooooh, I'm getting more and more excited!" Soukichi said, unable to contain himself.

"You and me both!" Just as Grimm had finished speaking his sentence of agreement, a blue light flashed behind the two youths, and a young woman with long black hair and blue eyes appeared. She was dressed in a medieval-looking get-up as well, and a book lied next to her. Her partner was a little girl with long, pink hair, held in two twintails, floating in the air and holding a magical staff.

"Miyuki-chan!" the girl called, with concern audible in her tone and written on her face "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Merrilee-chan! I'm fine, thank you!" The woman reassuringly replied with a smile. The Yatsumura brothers turned and spotted the woman.

"Nii-san?" Soukichi asked, not without surprise "You were saying something about finding other players, weren't you?"

"Yes." Satoshi replied "And it looks like we've got one right here." As soon as the amber-eyed youth finished speaking, both the brothers began running towards the raven-haired woman with the intent of helping her.


	5. Chapter 5: First Steps

Chapter 5: First Steps

The Yatsumura brothers walked towards the black-haired woman that had appeared close to them and to the girl who seemed to be her Eidolon, as she got up from the ground.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" Satoshi asked the woman.

"Oh? Ah, yes, thank you!" she replied, surprised to have met someone this soon, right after her entrance in the new world she had been told about.

"You're a player like us, aren't you?" Soukichi asked, maybe a bit too directly.

"I guess you two come from the same world Miyuki-chan comes from..." the little girl mused, before she noticed the dragon accompanying the youngest of the two boys "G-Grimm?!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Merrilee-chan!" Grimm replied with equal surprise, before flying to her with a smile. "Long time no see!"

"It's great to see you again!" Merrilee enthusiastically exclaimed, then looked at the boy next to her friend "I take it you're that boy's partner..." she observed.

"You two know each other?" Soukichi exclaimed in surprise.

"Looks like it." Satoshi answered his younger brother's question, while Tyr was silently observing the conversation.

"Yes to both!" Grimm said, with a grin on his face "And you're with that woman, aren't you?" Merrilee nodded, humming happily.

"Um… Miyuki-san, right?" Satoshi attempted to approach the woman, which nodded with a warm smile.

"Yes, Sazanami Miyuki. That's my name." she replied, in a gentle tone "I'm glad to have found other people like me in here. What are your names?" The woman looked familiar to Satoshi.

" _I know I have seen her before._ " he thought " _She's the woman Tsushima and I_ _have_ _met in the cafeteria..._ "

"My name is Yatsumura Soukichi." the younger boy replied, excitedly, before pointing at his brother "And he's my older brother."

"My name is Yatsumura Satoshi." the amber-eyed youth presented himself, in turn, politely and with a smile on his face "I'm a student at Tokyo Metropolitan University."

"So that's why you looked familiar!" Miyuki exclaimed, remembering the face of the youth she had came across in the cafeteria.

"Yes, I was thinking exactly the same thing." Satoshi added.

"So you all know each other here." Tyr interrupted "Now that we've seen that, can we please focus on what we should do now?"

"Hey!" Grimm was the most annoyed by the God of War's antics "That's rude! Don't you know?"

"But he does have a point." Satoshi remarked "Sazanami-san, we were about to head to a town close by to look around and see what we should do next, before we met you. Would you care to join us?"

"Oh, I would be delighted!" Miyuki eagerly replied "And please, just use my first name!"

"Where is this town, exactly?" Merrilee couldn't help but ask, to which Satoshi quickly answered.

"Over there." he said, pointing its finger towards the coastal town visible in the distance.

"It looks beautiful..." the woman's blue eyes sparkled in seeing the seemingly peaceful town. In that moment, an idea came into the amber-eyed youth's mind.

"Also, it looks like a port town!" he remarked "Which means, we might find travelers who know more about this world, since they've been in more parts of it!"

"That's a great idea, Nii-san!" Soukichi joyfully agreed with his brother's thought.

"Well then, I think it's best if we get going!" Tyr said. Agreeing with the electric blue Eidolon's suggestion, the three of them began walking towards the town, along with their otherwordly companions. As she walked, Miyuki couldn't help but look down at her body and noticing that she was wearing different clothes.

"W-Whoa..." she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, my brother and I had the exact same reaction when we noticed we had different clothes as well." Satoshi said, noticing the woman's astonishment.

"I can imagine." the woman replied, turning to the youth and smiling at him.

"So, Miyuki-san, I take it you work in the campus..." Satoshi remarked.

"Yes." Miyuki nodded "I work in the library archives, in front of the computer room." The student listened to her with interest, until she asked him a question of her own "And you? What do you study?"

"Anthropology." Satoshi quickly replied. "I've always loved mythos."

"It's a really beautiful discipline!" Miyuki smiled. "There should be a good chunk of books about this topic in the campus library..." Satoshi nodded in agreement, knowing about the quite complete anthropological section she was talking about.

"For how long have you been playing Innocent World, Miyuki-san?" Soukichi couldn't help but ask.

"Umm..." the woman put her fingers under her chin pensively and thought for a moment before replying "I think it's been 3 weeks..." Both the brothers slightly gasped in response, taking in her reply.

"Innocent World?" Merrilee asked her partner, out of curiosity.

"It's a game we play in our world." Miyuki quickly explained, before turning back to the youth "Speaking of which, for how long have you and your brother been playing?"

"Oh, I've been playing for a week." Satoshi explained "Soukichi has been playing for 5 days."

"Which makes you our senpai, in a sense." Soukichi added. Miyuki laughed sweetly at the boy's remark.

"There is no need for the formalities in this situation." she said "I'm a stranger to this world just as much as you two are."

"I understand, Miyuki-san." Satoshi replied, with a smile of his own "Still, my brother and I are looking forward to work together with you."

"I do too." the raven-haired woman replied, with a giggle.

"Oh, by the way." Soukichi asked "What is your weapon, Miyuki-san?" At that question, the woman checked her hip and noticed that a book was hanging there. She took it out and looked at it with confused and curious eyes.

"Hey, that's a spell book!" Merrilee remarked, her eyes widening at the sight of the artifact. "If you have that, it means that it's most suited for you!"

"Exactly what I was about to say." Tyr added as Miyuki opened the book. Runes were written on its pages, and the woman realized that she could somehow understand them. Immediately, she turned to her Eidolon.

"Is it thanks to you if I can understand what's written on this book?" she asked.

"Well..." she replied, with a smile on her face "I'd say it's more thanks to the Cube of Gaia."

"So you mean that..." Miyuki observed, not without stupor "It's the Cube of Gaia that allows me to use this book?"

"It's not just you." Tyr added "My partner and his brother are connected to the Cube, too, and, added to any knowledge of their weapons they previously had, they're ultimately able to fight because of it." Hearing the warrior's words, the Yatsumura brothers looked at their hands in disbelief.

"Isn't it awesome?" Merrilee cheerily observed.

"It is..." Soukichi dazedly replied.

"It will definitely come in handy." his older brother added. Everyone nodded in agreement with the undeniable statement.

"Well, I think we should get going to the city now..." Satoshi added, gazing towards their destination.

"Who knows, maybe we'll find other players there!" Soukichi remarked, excitedly.

"Well..." Miyuki observed "If anyone would have been in our same situation, that would always be the best course of action." With that said, everyone resumed walking towards the coastal town.

"Man, I'm already getting pumped up!" Soukichi exclaimed, excitedly "Who knows what we might run into!"

"You and me both, Soukichi!" Grimm shared the high spirits of his partner.

"You're always so enthusiastic, aren't you, Grimm?" Merrilee asked, with a bright smile.

"You bet I am!" the little dragon replied, then his attention fully turned towards the little mage girl as a question came to his mind "Oh, by the way, Merrilee, have you seen Serif lately?"

"Serif?" she replied "No, I haven't seen him around lately… Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to know." Grimm shrugged.

"Who's Serif, Merrilee-chan?" Miyuki asked her Eidolon "A friend of yours?"

"Yes!" the girl with pink twintails replied, happily "He's one of my most reliable friends! He's really sweet and caring!" she blushed a bit as she finished speaking. Miyuki giggled sweetly in response, and Grimm snorted, holding back his laughter.

"Is he a good fighter?" Tyr asked her.

"Yes, he is!" Merrilee replied "He's a skilled warrior."

"Now that's interesting." the blue-haired warrior smiled.

"There's something that can't help but baffle me, though…" Miyuki said, her fingers placed under her chin, pensively.

"What is it, Miyuki-san?" Satoshi asked her.

"When we came to this world, it was night in our own..." the woman explained "But the sun is high in the sky here. I would guess that it's a little before or after midday here..."

"Hmmm… You're right." the amber-eyed youth agreed with her, with a pensive tone. "I guess that the time of Terra is different than the time of our world..."

"It is." Tyr replied "When someone like you enters Terra through the Cube, it could be any possible time of the day!" Satoshi nodded, taking in the information he received from his partner.

"Understood." he said "Thank you, Tyr." At his words, the blue-haired warrior blushed.

"I-It's not that big of a deal." he replied, making everyone of them smile.

Before they knew it, the three otherworldly travelers, along with their Eidolons, had arrived right in front of the gates of the coastal city. After passing through a pathway patrolled by a pair of soldiers, the sight of a lively commercial town greeted them. Its most prominent places were the plaza, where people walked around and lives intertwined, and the marketplace, filled with merchants and plenty of merchandise, ready to be sold.

The first merchant the group stumbled upon was a young man with black hair and deep green eyes. He wore glasses and an outfit which was not excessively dignified. As soon as he saw the three travelers and their Eidolons approaching him, a smile appeared on his place.

"Good morning, and welcome to the wonderful town of Helonia!" he greeted them "Are you here for business?"

"Good morning to you, sir!" Miyuki replied with a smile of her own, before shaking her head "Not really. We're travelers. As incredible as it sounds, we've never been in this lovely town before." The young merchant chuckled in response.

"Well, there's always a first time." he said, before extending his hand. "My name is Luther, Luther Goldsworth." Everyone stepped up to shake his hand and introduce himself.

"Sazanami Miyuki. Nice to meet you." the raven-haired woman was the first one to introduce herself, then the Yatsumura brothers followed.

"Yatsumura Satoshi."

"Yatsumura Soukichi."

"Ah, so you two are brothers!" Luther observed "I must say I've never heard names like yours. You must come from very far away."

"Yes, that's it." Miyuki replied.

"Also, the creatures accompanying you are interesting." the merchant added. His statement piqued the interest of Satoshi, who decided to ask him a question.

"Since we're on topic, have you happened to see any similar creatures in this town as of late?" Hearing his words, Luther pensively stroked his chin with his fingers.

"Hmm… Now that you mention it..." he mused, before giving his answer "I have seen two more people accompanied by such creatures."

"Really?!" Soukichi asked, unable to hide his excitement.

"Yes." Luther confirmed, with a nod "They shouldn't be too hard to find. One of them is a traveler, like you, while the other one is a resident of Helonia."

"Thank you for the information, Luther." Satoshi replied, with a slight bow. His younger brother and Miyuki bowed in gratitude as well, along with their partners.

"Ah, may I ask one more thing?" Miyuki asked.

"Sure!" Luther replied, with a warm smile.

"Well, we don't have so much money with us, so I need to ask..." the raven-haired woman asked "Are there any possible ways for travelers like us to gain money honestly?"

"Actually there are some." Luther replied "You just need to see whether some people need help in their job. They would gladly share a part of their gain with you as compensation."

"Thank you very much!" Miyuki said, with a bow "We'll keep it in mind. See you later." Then, the travelers walked away, with the intention of seeing the town for themselves and the hope of finding the other two people accompanied by Eidolons. Soukichi's eyes wandered around until they set on a stretch of sand touching the sea.

"Isn't that a beach over there?" the youngest of the Yatsumura brothers asked.

"It looks like it is" Satoshi confirmed his brother's assumption.

"It looks lovely! I feel like seeing it." Miyuki said, before asking her companions "What do you think?"

"Yes!" Soukichi replied, excitedly.

"Agreed." Satoshi smiled.

"Let's check it out!" Merrilee agreed, as Grimm nodded excitedly.

"If you insist..." Tyr shrugged.

The beachside was quite long, almost as if embraced the city, connecting it with the infinite, blue sea. At a certain distance from the shore, there was an islet, on which a fisherman stood, using his rod. As the travelers looked around in amazement, they could also see some people sunbathing on the beach.

"It's… Beautiful..." Miyuki uttered breathlessly, gazing at the sea.

"Yes..." Merrilee agreed, with shining eyes. The Yatsumura brothers nodded in agreement as well, along with their Eidolons, amazement sit upon their features.

"Oh, Romeo! Romeo! My handsome and gentle Romeo!"

A dreamy female voice suddenly caught Satoshi's attention, making him turn towards its source. It was a young woman, standing on the beach among some palm trees alongside a young man. They were looking at each other with adoring eyes.

"Ah, Juliet! Juliet! My beautiful and graceful Juliet!" the young man replied, as the youth's fellow travelers turned towards the two lovers as well. Juliet threw her arms around Romeo's neck, smiling warmly at him.

"Romeo, honey, do you love me or love me not?" she asked her lover. His reply was quick and earnest.

"Juliet, dear, I love you and I love you more."

As the two lovers kissed each other passionately, the travelers and their Eidolons reacted differently.

"Hmph." Tyr humphed, as he turned his gaze away from the two.

" _Whoa..._ " Satoshi thought, silently " _I've never thought I would have seen something this sweet. Even too sweet, I dare say…_ "

"Awww..." Merrilee fawned over the two lovers, while Miyuki simply giggled in amusement.

"I might as well get diabetes from this..." Soukichi remarked.

"Yeah, there's so much honey I could drown in it!" Grimm agreed with his partner. At that point, the youngest of the Yatsumura brothers realized something.

"Wait a minute..."

Eventually, a smirk made its way on the boy's face.

"Nii-san, you've been the first one to notice them out of all of us… Could it mean..." His smirk evolved into a grin as he walked towards his older brother "Could it mean that you'll be next? Eh? Eh, Nii-san?" he kept teasing him, elbowing him.

"S-Soukichi!" Satoshi retorted, blushing madly. Tyr was about to protest when he heard someone screaming.

"ONII-CHAAAAN!"

A little girl ran to the blue-haired warrior and hugged him tightly, before he could realize who it was. When Tyr understood, she had already reached him. She had light blue hair and cobalt blue eyes.

"A-Ayako?!" he exclaimed, surprised and embarrassed, blushing madly "W-What are you doing here? And why are you calling me Onii-chan?"

"Tyr Onii-chan!" the little girl called Ayako kept exclaiming while hugging him "I'm so happy to see you!" she then looked up at him and asked him "Do you have something to eat?" As Satoshi's eyes were on the two, Tyr had a look on his face that seemed to scream " _Please! I can explain!_ " adorned by a deep blush.

"Ayako?" a female voice called "Ayako, where are you?" At that, the little girl's head turned towards the source of that voice, and so did the travelers.

"Ah, Kazumi-chan!" she replied, with a huge smile on her face "Look, I've found Tyr Onii-chan! And he has friends! They look juicy!"

"Uhhh… How are we supposed to take that?" Merrilee uncertainly asked. Her partner shared her concerns, as well as the rest of the travelers.

"Oh, there you are, Ayako." the girl who had called Ayako had appeared. She was a tall young woman with short, dark violet hair and deep purple eyes. Her face showed a stoic expression. Satoshi looked stunned.

" _I've never seen a girl like her before..._ " he thought.


	6. Chapter 6: Fellow Player

Chapter 6: Fellow Player

Satoshi's eyes were set on the young woman who had appeared in front of them, until she turned hew own gaze to him, to which he immediately looked away, blushing in embarrassment.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice was clean, her tone was stoic. She glanced at little girl called Ayako and at the blue-haired warrior she was hugging, and then asked "Are you that Eidolon's partner?"

"Oh, you mean Tyr?" the amber-eyed youth replied "Yes, I am!" After hearing his answer, the girl immediately turned to her.

"Ayako! Come back here!" she called her partner, which immediately let go of Tyr.

"Okay!" she merrily hummed as she walked back by her side. Then, her human partner gave a respectful bow.

"I'm so sorry." she said.

"Ah, it was no problem!" Satoshi replied, his blush still hadn't completely faded "It appears that our partners know each other..."

"Yeah, it seems so..." the young woman agreed.

"Excuse me..." Soukichi asked her "That little girl had called you Kazumi, are you a player, too?"

"Oh, actually, I am." she replied. "So you're Japanese, as well..." The shorter boy nodded in response.

"My name is Yatsumura Soukichi." he introduced himself instantly, followed by his older brother and by the woman traveling with them.

"My name is Sazanami Miyuki."

"My name is Yatsumura Satoshi. It's nice to meet you. Kazumi, right?" the amber-eyed youth asked for her name.

"Yes, my name is Yamanouchi Kazumi." the young woman confirmed, before giving another respectful bow "The pleasure is all mine."

" _She's so polite, it's almost scary!_ " Soukichi thought, noticing how she never dropped her stoic expression. Satoshi, on the other hand, was positively impressed by her good looks and manners, as a blush on his face showed.

"So, what brings you here?" Satoshi asked.

"Ah, hello Kazumi!" a young voice behind them called behind the three travelers, making then turn. Its source was a boy, sitting on a wheelchair. He had another girl, with bunny ears and tail, by his side, sitting on a flying object which resembled a moon.

"Oh, hello, Eric!" Kazumi replied, surprising her three fellow players. "And Serena."

"Serena-chan!" Ayako excitedly waved at the girl, who waved back.

"Hi, Ayako-chan!" she replied. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great, thank you!" she exclaimed "I'm just a little hungry..." Her reply made the rabbit-eared girl giggle.

"Of course, you're always hungry!" she replied, before noticing that Tyr was there as well. "Oh, hi, Tyr!"

"Ah, hello, Serena." he greeted back "How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you!" Serena cheerily answered, before asking a question of her own "Have you brought something for Ayako-chan?" Tyr jolted and cringed, his eyes wide, and an intense blush making its way on his face.

" _Why in front of them?_ " he thought, and eventually sighed out, before nodding.

"Really? Yaaaaay!" Ayako joyously jumped up and down and then rose her hands towards him "Gimme, gimme, Tyr onii-chan!" the blue eyed warrior sighed once more as he fished out of his pocket a small pouch and handed it to her. The little girl looked at the bag with curious and excited eyes before ripping it open with her claws, and she gasped in happiness as she saw its content.

"Yaaaay! Cookies!" she exclaimed in joy, before neatly setting the bag on the ground and hugging Tyr tightly "Thank you so much, onii-chan!" The warrior awkwardly embraced the little girl back, until she pulled away, picked up her bag and began eating her biscuits. Satoshi and Miyuki couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"I'm actually surprised at how well she treated that pouch of biscuits..." Grimm mused, while Merrilee simply giggled at the scene.

"She treats her food well." Serena replied, with a giggle "You're as cute as ever, Grimm, you know that?" Upon hearing those words, the dragon blushed furiously, with steam coming out of his ears.

"Hey!" he replied, feeling offended "I'm not a pet! I'm still a dragon, you know?" to which both Serena and Soukichi giggled.

"Soukichi, not you too!" the dragon exclaimed "You're supposed to have my back!" The other travelers and their partners smiled at the scene.

"Take it, Grimm." the amber-eyed boy suggested "Just take the compliment." Grimm looked away, fidgeting, his blush not fading, until he gave up.

"Fine..." he replied, before turning back to Serena "Thank you, I guess…" His embarrassed reply elicited another giggle from the lunar hare.

"So, what brings you here, Eric?" Kazumi asked.

"Oh, I'm here collecting some seashells for a girl who can't do it herself." the boy replied. "I see that you have fellows with you."

"Yes." the young woman replied "As you can see, they're Envoys, like me."

"Well, it's nice to meet you!" the boy called Eric greeted the three new fighters "My name is Eric Andersen, and she is Serena, my partner."

"Nice to meet you!" the rabbit girl greeted, slightly bowing her head.

"The pleasure is ours!" Miyuki replied "My name is Sazanami Miyuki!"

"Yatsumura Satoshi" "Yatsumura Soukichi" the amber-eyed brothers were the next to introduce themselves. Eric smiled at their similarity, which gave away their kinship.

"I take it you're new here." Serena observed, to which Satoshi nodded.

"Well, welcome to Helonia!" Eric said, with a chuckle "If you need any information, feel free to ask me or Luther."

"Not that Kazumi-san needs to ask, does she?" his Eidolon replied, with a giggle.

"What do you mean by that?" Satoshi couldn't help but ask.

"The last time Kazumi-san has been here, she has been around for a week!" Serena explained, to which the three travelers' eyes widened in surprise.

" _A whole week in Terra?_ " they all thought. The rabbit girl giggled at their stupor.

"Now, if you please excuse me." she said, before going back to Eric's side.

"Do you mind if we see who you're trying to help out?" Kazumi asked.

"Oh, no problem!" the boy replied, with a warm smile "I should be almost done here." Then, he focused on the sea shells lying on the shore once more. The stoic young woman turned to her fellow players.

"This is your first trip to Terra, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, it is." Miyuki confirmed "Why is that?"

"Your surprise at the mention of my first travel gave it away." the young woman replied.

"From that, you've understood that we still haven't tried going back to our world, right?" Satoshi assumed, as his little brother simply stood speechless.

" _Scary!_ " he thought.

"Exactly." Kazumi replied, with a nod.

"We had so much fun in here!" Ayako excitedly added, still munching happily on her biscuits.

"And, when you went back to your own world, you realized that it was the exact hour you left, right?" Merrilee assumed.

"Exactly." she replied "If you were concerned about that, don't worry."

"I see..." Satoshi thoughtfully mused, before replying "Thank you, Yamanouchi-san."

"You're welcome, Yatsumura-kun." Kazumi replied, before asking another question "Have you tried doing any errands in the town?" The travelers shook their heads, since they had only explored that possibility on paper before, but not really tried it.

"Awww, what a cute seashell!" Serena exclaimed in joy, her eyes sparkling at the sight of a particularly enticing seashell that her partner held in his hand.

"This'll do." Eric said, as he put the seashell in a pouch he had, and then turned his wheelchair. "I think that we can visit Fuya now." He then began heading back in the town with his companion, as the travelers followed him.

"Fuya?" Soukichi couldn't help but muse "Is that the name of the little girl he's helping?"

"Guess so." Satoshi and Kazumi replied in unison, albeit in slightly different tones. Eventually, Eric's wheelchair led him close to a medium-sized house in the outskirts of the town square, and a little girl excitedly ran to him. She had long fair hair and deep blue eyes, and she looked quite frail. However, a big smile was lighting up her features.

"Hello, Fuya!" the boy greeted her, with a smile of his own, before showing her the seashells he had found and handing them to her.

"Thank you so much!" she replied, her voice filled with emotion and her whole body trembling in joy and excitement as she took the shells.

"You're welcome." he replied, glad that his help had made her so happy.

"Good thing momma can't hear me." Fuya said, in a lower tone, as she looked at the door of her house behind her "If she knew I was asking strangers for favors, she'd be very upset." She then looked back at the kind youth who had helped her with a bright smile. "Thanks again, Eric. As far as I'm concerned, you're no stranger anymore!" She then flashed a wink which elicited an amused chuckle from Eric.

"If you need any help, just ask." the youth said, before winking back at her, then, he turned his wheelchair and waved at her before heading away "Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye!" Fuya waved back, smiling, then, she held her seashells close to her chest as she gazed at the sea from the front of her house, her smile slowly fading away. Meanwhile, Eric had reached the travelers.

"What was that all about?" Soukichi was the one to ask the question that was in the mind of every single one of his companions.

"Fuya asked me to collect those Prayer Seashells because she couldn't go to the beach on her own." Eric explained "She's ill, and her lungs are ailing because of her disease."

"She did look quite frail..." Miyuki remarked, concernedly "Poor girl..."

"Her father has sailed out to look for a cure, but he hasn't come back ever since." Everyone was saddened by the news they heard.

"Aw, crap." Soukichi murmured sadly while lowering his gaze, along with Satoshi, Miyuki and Kazumi.

"Papa..." Suddenly, their attention was caught by the sound of a soft voice. It was Fuya, praying for her missing father.

"Papa… You've been gone for over a year now..." she said "I've been very well behaved, and every day I pray to the sea god for your return. Momma is still saying she wants a divorce but..." Her voice began wavering as tears began welling up in her eyes, still gazing at the infinite blue sea "But I miss you terribly, Papa..." To hear that desperate prayer was even more saddening for the travelers.

"Oh..." Miyuki put a hand in front of her mouth.

"I guess that explains why she wanted those Prayer Seashells." Kazumi observed, her gaze low "It's clear to see that she loves her father very much..."

"Yeah..." Eric nodded. Satoshi couldn't help but slightly raise his gaze and turn it towards him. Kazumi noticed him and understood his confusion.

"You see, they say that when one holds some Prayer Seashells while praying for their loved ones, his prayer is sure to reach them." she explained "Eric had once told me that."

"It's so sad..." Merrilee murmured, tears welling up in her own eyes "That poor little girl..."

"But… Why does her mother want to divorce?" Tyr asked.

"Like she said, her father has been gone for over a year." Satoshi replied "His wife may be not only worried about his safety, she may have doubts over his fidelity as well."

"Oh." Tyr took in his partner's words. It was then that, suddenly, they heard a call.

"No! Get back here!"

They turned to the source of that voice and realized that it came from an old man. He was holding six birdcages in his hands, but his birds were flying away from him. Without a second thought Kazumi took something from her pouch in her hand and rushed in the direction of their flight.

"Kazumi-chan!" Ayako called as she hurried after her partner, who leapt on the branches of the closest tree and jumped towards a nearby wall. Then, she began running on that very wall, holding out her hand and the object she held in it. The birds began following her, as if lured by the scent of that object. Her fellow players watched in shock and awe.

"Ayako!" the young woman called her partner as she jumped off of the wall and threw the object she held: six seeds.

"Yes!" Ayako replied as she took the seeds in her mouth and then spat them with great precision in the bird cages, thus luring the bird back inside. Then, Kazumi landed in front of the birds, drew her katana, and waved it, producing a gust of wind that moved the cages' doors, instantly closing them.

"Whoa..." Satoshi, Miyuki and Eric were left speechless, along with their partners. Soukichi fell back on his butt from stupor while Grimm stood there, floating, his jaw dropping. The young woman sheathed her katana, while the birds, back in their man-made homes, ate their food.

"That… Was… Amazing!" Eric exclaimed

"Wow! I don't know how you did that, but thank you, thank you so much!" the old man exclaimed, gratefully, before recognizing her. "You're that traveler girl who helped out quite a lot in this town, aren't you?"

"Are you… The traveling bird master?" Kazumi asked, while her partner looked at the birds with wide, hungry eyes.

"Those birds look so delicious..." she murmured.

"Why, yes, I am!" the old man replied, with a nod and a smile "I had been preparing for my next show with my lovelies, but they tend to wander if you leave them out of their homes for too much..."

"For a bird trainer, he should be really watch his animals more closely..." Tyr said, scratching the back of his head…

"Easier said than done..." Satoshi replied. The old man took out a small bag and handed it to the girl.

"Here, take this as thanks." he said.

"Are you sure?" Kazumi asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

"Absolutely! You've earned it!" he replied "Don't worry, what I get from my craft, with the help of my lovelies, is more than enough for me!" The young woman reluctantly took the bag and bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you, sir." she said.

"Don't mention it, girl!" he replied "See you!"

"Goodbye." Kazumi replied, prompting the old bird trainer to smile at her, then turn his back on her and walk away. After seeing him off, she gazed at her "prize" for a moment, before rejoining her fellow players and their Eidolons.

"That was crazy!" Soukichi exclaimed in excitement "Are you a ninja girl?"

"It was incredible!" Miyuki exclaimed, with admiration "It's clear to see that you've been here more than us."

"You've definitely made good use of your week in Terra." Tyr remarked. The young girl's stoic expression never faltered as she walked closer to Satoshi, making him blush, and handed the bag of money to him.

"Take it." she said.

"Wh-What?" the amber-eyed youth exclaimed in disbelief "B-But you've earned that money."

"I've gained enough by doing errands during my week here." Kazumi retorted "Clearly, you need it more than I do."

"Are you sure?" Miyuki asked, with uncertainty.

"Yes." the young girl nodded "There's a nice inn in this town. Use it to pay for your stay there."

"Th-Thank you..." the youth uncertainly replied as he took the bag in his hands.

"To create a Guild and put the money you earn in common would be a good idea." Kazumi suggested, turning her head around to make sure that her gaze could catch every single one of her fellow players "But for now, you should do some errands while you take your time thinking about it."

"Understood." Miyuki replied.

"Thank you for your help, Yamanouchi-san." Satoshi said, gratefully "We'll definitely follow your advice."

"Don't mention it." the young woman said, showing her eagerness to help with a nod "We players must help each other, after all..." However, her facial expression showed no change.

" _She's awfully kind… Like those senpai-tachi who have helped us in the game when we began playing Innocent World..._ " Soukichi thought " _But it still doesn't change the fact that she's kinda scary..._ "

"Oh, and another thing." upon suddenly recalling something, Kazumi inched closer to Satoshi's face, prompting him to blush, and whispered in his ear "There's a man dressed in a black cape and armed with two blades that has been running around lately. Tell your companions to watch out." Satoshi tensed up in hearing those words, and nodded.

"Best of luck." the young woman wished, pulling away from her fellow player and patting his shoulder.

"Well, I'll see you around, Eric." she saw off her friend "And to you, I wish good luck." she finally said to the travelers, before turning her back and walking away.

"See you, Kazumi!" Eric saw off the young woman, before turning to the other travelers. Then, he looked at the bewildered amber-eyed youth with a conspiring smile "She's cool, isn't she?" At those words, Satoshi immediately blushed beet red. Luckily, his little brother was staying a couple steps behind him and could not see his face.

"What did she tell you?" Miyuki asked, walking closer to her fellow traveler.

"To beware of a black caped swordsman..." Satoshi replied, in a more serious tone, turning to her.

"A black caped swordsman..." Soukichi took in his brother's words, pensively putting his fingers under his chin.

"I think I know what you're talking about..." Eric explained "There's been a caped man in Helonia recently. We don't know what he uses those blades for, but it looks like he hasn't harmed a citizen. For now, at least..." Their doubt over the mysterious swordsman's intentions left them in a state of tension.

"Ahem, anyway..." Serena called everyone's attention, with the intent of lightening up the atmosphere "I think you should get to hustling now!"

"Right." Eric added, with a nod "If you want to begin running errands, I think I have one for you."

"We're listening." Satoshi spoke for himself, as well as his companions, and was ready to hear out the errand that Eric was about to suggest them.


	7. Chapter 7: First Errand

Chapter 7: First Errand

Eric explained the errand he had in mind for the three travelers

"You could try helping out in the "Good Food Time" restaurant. Everyone could be assigned a job to do there to help in the kitchen, or regarding supplies. I'm sure it'll be pretty rewarding, too, for a first errand!"

"Sounds like a good idea." Satoshi replied, before turning to his companions "What do you guys think?"

"Are Eidolons allowed to help out?" Tyr asked.

"Sure!" Serena replied, with a grin "If there's anything you can do to help, feel free to do it!"

"Perfect!" the amber-eyed youth exclaimed, beating his fist on his open palm, but then, his eyes widened as he realized the question that the blue-haired warrior had asked.

"It does sound good." Miyuki observed, with a smile, as Satoshi turned to his Eidolon, surprised by his interest in the errand.

"Why the sudden interest in human affairs?" he couldn't help but ask. To that, Tyr jolted in surprise, and fidgeted a bit, before replying earnestly.

"I'm… I'm quite good at cooking, actually." he said.

"Really?" his partner exclaimed, in pleased surprise "That's amazing!"

"Well, I had to know it." Tyr replied, turning his gaze away "In cases like this, should my Envoy ever need it..."

"I take it you had to learn for Ayako-chan, haven't you?" Serena mused, with a smirk on her face, which made the electric warrior shoot his eyes open and blush in deep embarrassment.

"S-Stop it, Serena..." he replied. Miyuki and Merrilee giggled softly at the scene, and Soukichi and Grimm failed to hold back a snort, while Eric and Satoshi simply smiled.

"Well then, follow me." Eric finally said, turning his wheelchair "I'll lead you to the restaurant." The three otherworldly Envoys complied and followed him, walking through the plaza of Helonia, as they were surrounded by the sounds of the life of the citizens going by. People talking, merchants selling their products, these rather common sounds were very pleasant to their ears and to those of their Eidolons, who had astonished expressions on their face. Tyr was an exception, trying to keep a stoic facial expression, but his wandering eyes betrayed his curiosity.

" _It almost feels like the farmer_ _'_ _s market in which I fetch my lunch on Wednesdays..._ " Satoshi thought, with a smile on his face. Eric turned his head to the travelers and was pleased to see their amused and content expressions.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" he courteously asked.

"Yes, we are." Satoshi replied, with a nod.

"Definitely." Miyuki replied, with a warm smile of her own, while Soukichi simply nodded vigorously, before resuming looking around with astonishment.

"This place is huge..." Grimm murmured with stupor.

"Yeah..." his partner agreed.

"And there are so many people..." Merrilee added, with a smile and a slight blush adorning her face "So many meetings..."

"It is nice..." Tyr observed "But not that impressive." As his partner immediately turned to him with a confused and rather irritated stare, he immediately proceeded to defend his claim "I mean, this is still a port town. There must be bigger places..."

"Well, there's still a lot to enjoy." Satoshi replied, before resuming looking around.

"Actually, I've heard that Navea is a lot bigger and way more impressive than here..." Eric added. "After all, it is the capital town of Midgard..."

"Sounds cool!" Soukichi remarked, with excitement.

"Sounds smokin'!" Grimm added, bubbling with thrill no less than his partner.

"Nii-san, we'll be going there someday, right?" the Envoy asked, turning to his older brother, only to notice that he had his gaze and mind set on something else. "Uh, Nii-san?" Satoshi's smile had faded, and his eyes were laid on an old woman with worry written all over her features. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. She was nervously walking back and forth in front of the entrance of a rather imposing building. Eventually, she stopped, and closed her eyes as she sighed deeply. Once she opened them again, her gaze was thoughtfully facing the ground.

"We're still missing half..." Satoshi could hear her murmur "What are we going to do…? Why can't Selena understand…?"

"Nii-san? What's the matter?" Soukichi asked again, as Eric and the others understood that their companion was looking elsewhere as well. As soon as he turned his look in the direction of the youth's gaze, the boy on the wheelchair quickly understood enough to provide some words of explanation.

"Oh, she's Mrs. Madeline Breeze, the mayor of Helonia. Lately, she has been worrying over a very important issue."

"I see..." Satoshi mused, before turning to Eric "Can you tell me more?"

"Well..." Eric replied "If you want to know more, you should ask Luther." Satoshi gave one more look to the worried mayor, then back to Luther, with determination visible in his eyes.

"Understood. Thank you, Eric." he said, with utmost gratitude, to which the boy in the wheelchair nodded.

"Do you intend to help with it?" Miyuki asked her fellow traveler.

"Yes." the youth readily replied "If something's going on, I need to know what it is. Only then, I'll be able to do something about it..."

"Uh, Nii-san?" his brother said, looking at him "You aren't forgetting that we're in this as much as you are, right?"

"Your brother is right, Satoshi-kun." the older woman added, in a serious tone. "Whatever you intend to do, we'll be with you. You can count on us." At that statement, Satoshi smiled in relief and gratitude.

"Thank you." he replied.

"Also." Miyuki suggested "We could also ask Yamanouchi-san to help us, if we'll have the chance..." To that, Soukichi jolted and trembled a bit, while his older brother nodded in agreement.

"Oh boy..." he murmured. It was right then that the three travelers and their young guide arrived in front of the restaurant they were looking for.

"Here, this is the place." Eric said, beating his fist on his palm. A young woman with an apron, who was clearly one of the workers in the restaurant, walked out of the door and saw them. She greeted Eric with a smile on her face.

"Eric! What brings you here?" she cheerfully asked.

"Oh, hello!" the boy smiled back "I've brought six people willing to help." The young woman looked at the three people Eric had brought with him, with a smile on her face.

"Just in time for lunchtime!" she said, with a giggle "Thank you all for volunteering! Come on in!" she quickly stepped back in order to give space for them to enter the restaurant's front door, then she went to close the door, not forgetting to give her thanks to the boy in the wheelchair as well, for bringing the helpers there

"Oh, and thank you, too, Eric!" she smiled warmly, and winked at him, before closing the door. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"Eric!" it was then that a strong, male voice called him, prompting him to turn immediately. He saw that his parents were there with him as well. Serena noticed them as well.

"Oh, good morning!" she greeted them.

"What have you been doing?" His mother asked "And who were those people?"

"I've been around town and on the beach with Serena, mom." Eric replied "As for those people, they were adventurers."

"Adventurers?" his father asked "You mean, like that Kazumi girl?"

"Exactly." Eric answered, with a nod "They were looking for a job they could take, so I brought them here." Both of their parents sighed, not only in relief for their son, but of worry, as well.

"Look, Eric..." his mother began "It's really selfless and nice of you to help out people, but you should really make an effort to be careful around adventurers..."

"Your mother's right." the woman's husband added "By now, we trust that Kazumi girl as much as we trust your moon friend, but strangers are still strangers. I mean, what if one of them happened to be the black caped swordsman?" This time, it was the boy's turn to sigh.

"I understand." he replied "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"And I'll always watch over him." Serena added. Those answers were enough to make the beginnings of a smile bloom on his parents' faces.

"So..." Eric's mother asked, as her eyes went to the restaurant behind the boy "You've recommended them to the restaurant?"

"Yes, that's it." the boy nodded.

"Because we were thinking of having lunch here today." the woman said, her smile broadening "If it's fine with you, of course..." Eric's eyes widened in surprise at those words, but it didn't take long for him to smile happily.

"Sure! That's a great idea!" he replied, with a more vigorous nod. Immediately, Serena's ears perked up as she turned towards her friend.

"They serve carrots here, right?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yes." Eric replied, with a warm smile "Yes, they do." The answer made the bunny-eared girl squeal in excitement as she kicked her legs while sitting on her floating crescent moon.

"Well then, let's go in!" the boy's father said, and so the family went into the restaurant. Serena hopped down from her floating seat and followed them.

Meanwhile, the worker had already led the three Envoys and their Eidolons to the kitchen, and was asking some questions.

"Who can cook, here?" she asked. Immediately, Miyuki and Tyr stepped up, to which her face brightened. "That's amazing!" Then, she looked over at Soukichi, noticing the little dragon that was next to him. "Awww, look at that cute little critter!"

"Hey!" Grimm exclaimed, steam coming out of his ears as his face was flushed red, which surprised the young woman.

"Ah!" Soukichi immediately stepped in to explain "He doesn't like being called little" The explanation made the worker giggle and fawn all the more.

"It makes him even cuter!" she said, before turning to the little dragon "Are you fine with helping in the kitchen?"

"No!" Grimm immediately replied, shaking his head vigorously "I'm not doing that."

"I'm with him on this." his partner replied, to which the worker nodded, before pensively putting her fingers under her chin.

"Hmmm..." she thought about where she could allocate the six volunteers, and it wasn't long before an idea came to her. "All right, I'll need those who can cook here in the kitchen. As for the others, I have a job just for you."

"What is it?" Soukichi asked, his voice brimming with excitement, which made his older brother look at him with an amused smile.

"You seem to look forward to this." he commented, to which the boy turned to him with a huge grin.

"You think?" he replied.

"This is going to be an adventure!" Grimm added, sharing his Envoy's excitement. Merrilee giggled at the scene in front of her.

"Anyway..." the restaurant worker began explaining the young travelers their job "We'll need vines to make our little meat boxes. You have to get them by facing the little Vine Dryads living in the plains and cutting the vines from them."

"Will the Dryads die, without their vines?" Satoshi couldn't help but ask.

"No, they won't." the young woman replied "But still, they won't let you have those vines easily, of course, which is why we'll need you to fight them and get our ingredients." Both of them nodded in response.

"Think you can man the fort while I'm away, Tyr?" Satoshi asked his partner, knowing that he would have had to stay behind in the kitchen.

"That's what I should be asking, Satoshi." the blue-haired young man replied, with a look of genuine concern on his face "Are you sure you will be able to hold out your own without my help?"

"Don't get so worked up, cutie!" the worker winked, which made Tyr blush slightly "It's true, the Dryads will put up a fight, but they're not that dangerous."

"Besides..." Merrilee added "I'll be coming with you guys, too, since I don't think I'll be of any use in the kitchen." The statement made her partner gasp in surprise.

"You will?" she asked, as worry began seeping on her face "Are you sure you'll be fine?" Merrilee smiled in response.

"Don't worry, Miyuki-chan." she reassured "I'm an Eidolon, remember? I'll be fine!" he then turned to the two brothers, whom she would have helped "Plus, I don't just cast ice: I can heal you with the Power of Love, should the need ever arise!"

"That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Soukichi said, as he let out a snort, making Merrilee puff her cheeks in annoyance.

"But it's true." the boy's dragon added "She can really heal people, as well as herself, with that staff of hers."

"We'll surely need it, should the worst happen." Satoshi observed.

"Again, the chances of that happening would be next to none." the worker said "Dryads aren't that scary at all! They actually look kinda cute!"

"Well then." Miyuki finally said "If there's nothing else we should know, we're ready to get to work as soon as possible."

"Thank you." the worker smiled as she bowed in gratitude "There's nothing else you need to know, and it's almost lunchtime, so we should all be getting to hustling right now!" Satoshi, Soukichi and Miyuki nodded in response, along with their Eidolons.

"Okay, we'll take care of things here." Miyuki said to the Yatsumura brothers "Be careful."

"Don't worry, we'll watch ourselves." Satoshi replied, as he nodded in response.

"We'll be right back with the vines!" his younger brother added, nodding as well, and they immediately departed for the plains surrounding Helonia.

"All right, now, everyone, get ready to work!" the restaurant worker excitedly exclaimed, clapping her hands, then she looked at the volunteers "You, follow me." The two cooks nodded in response and followed the worker, who led them to the head chef of the restaurant, a rather imposing man, with a benevolent air to him.

"Oh, Rosie!" the head chef cheerfully greeted her, and then noticed the two intruders next to her "And who are these two people you've brought with you?"

"Volunteers, sir." the worker immediately explained "They'll be working with us in the kitchen, today." Hearing the statement, the man's expression brightened.

"Really?" he exclaimed "Thank you so much! Your help will be much appreciated. If you need anything, feel free to ask me or Rosie here." the worker nodded in response.

"You better get ready, for it will get hectic around here, very soon!" she said, before rushing off somewhere and coming back with a couple of aprons. "Here, wear these." The two volunteers obeyed, putting the aprons on. Miyuki turned to Tyr and smiled upon seeing him in that attire.

"You look good in an apron, Tyr." she remarked, to which the blue-haired warrior blushed furiously, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, please..." he replied "It's embarrassing for me to wear this."

"Come on, now." Miyuki retorted, smiling warmly "You know you should wear it while cooking."

"That's true, but..." Tyr tried to reply, but the young woman cut him off before he could protest.

"Don't think too much about it." she said "You're gonna enjoy this much more." Tyr stood silent, and eventually nodded.

"Good!" Miyuki smiled "This is gonna be fun." Her expression was filled with excitement.

"All right, everyone!" Rosie then gave the signal for everyone to begin their work "Let's get started, it's lunchtime!"

And so, everyone began their day of work, at "Good Food Time."

And so, the first errand of the three otherwordly Envoys began.


	8. Chapter 8: Good Food Time

Chapter 8: Good Food Time

Satoshi and Soukichi were walking in the plains surrounding Helonia, along with Merrilee and Grimm, the Eidolons who were accompanying them. They were looking around for Dryads from which they were supposed to cut vines to bring back to the restaurant.

"Ok." Satoshi said "We'll need a plan to get the Dryads and fetch their vines quickly."

"I think I have an idea." Soukichi suggested "Since they'll most likely hide under the leaves, I'll just have to use my cannon's thundering to scatter them, which would allow Merrilee and Grimm to immobilize them, and you to cut their vines."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" the boy's older brother exclaimed, but then he put his fingers under the chin pensively "But maybe it's best not to leave Grimm to immobilize them. We don't want them burnt to a crisp, after all..."

"Hey!" The little dragon quipped, offended by the comment, but he eventually piped down before continuing "But I do understand where you're getting at. I think that, rather than trying to get them, I should be taunting them, so that they would try using the vines to attack me..."

"And that would allow Satoshi-kun to cut the vines!" Merrilee realized "Great idea!"

"It's settled, then." Soukichi concluded, beating his fist on his palm, before turning to his older brother "Will make for some good practice, too!".

Eventually, their steps led them in proximity of tall trees, under which small shadows could be seen, hiding in the leaves.

"It's them" Soukichi claimed, before taking his cannon and aiming it in the air. Then, he fired a shell to the sky. Just as expected, the little Dryads scattered away from the tree and began running towards the ground. "Bingo!" the amber-eyed boy exclaimed "Grimm, you know what to do!"

"Roger!" the little dragon replied as he immediately flew towards some of them, and immediately started his attempt on getting on their nerves.

"Hey, leaf-faces!" he called, prompting the creatures to turn to him. However, as soon as the Dryads saw the dragon approaching them, they immediately recognized him as a threat, and tried fleeing.

"What the?" Grimm exclaimed upon noticing that the Dryads were running away, as a tick mark appeared on his head "Hey! I hadn't even started!" Quickly understanding the situation, Satoshi thought fast of a solution.

"Merrilee-san!" he called out.

"Leave it to me, Satoshi-kun!" the twin-tailed fairy replied as she flew towards the fleeing creatures and waved the staff at them. As if on cue, ice grew below the Dryads, eventually encasing their legs and blocking them in place. Immediately, the creatures flailed around in fright, as they vainly struggled to get free from the ice.

"Whoa..." Soukichi gasped at the sudden sight. Satoshi was surprised by the speed with which Merrilee had casted her ice, but recollected himself in no time.

"That's our plan B." he said "That way, they won't run. They will be only able to flail their vines against us, and the vines are exactly what we want from them." His younger brother nodded in response.

"Don't think I can do much to help, with a cannon..." he observed, looking at his weapon, which was definitely not fit for leaving material to collect.

"But I can help." Grimm proudly exclaimed, before remembering an embarrassing particular and blushing "If I can hold my fire in, that is..." Satoshi nodded in response.

"That'll do." he replied, before turning to his younger brother "And you could collect the vines we cut.", to which Soukichi nodded. With that matter settled, the young man took a deep breath, unsheathed his twin katanas and got closer to one of the trapped Dryads, which immediately recognized him as a threat and began flailing its vines against him.

"I'm sorry..." Satoshi raised in a whisper as he rose his arm, dodged the incoming vine, and then swung down his blade, cutting it cleanly. The Dryad let out a shriek of pain as it pulled its vine away from the swordsman, and immediately tried attacking it with another vine, with the intent of driving the assailant away. Once again, Satoshi avoided it and cut it.

In the meantime, Grimm flew towards other trapped Dryads and, as soon as the creatures attempted to drive him away, he cut the vines away using his teeth, and held them inside his mouth.

"Wow! Those Dryads can regenerate their vines!" Soukichi noticed, as more vines sprouted from the bodies of the captive creatures "No wonder the people of this place get their vines from them..."

"Yeah, one could mill them for that!" Grimm added.

"How mean, though..." Merrilee observed, a bit sadly.

" _That doesn't_ _make_ _having to take from them what are essentially part of their bodies any easier..._ " Satoshi thought, silently agreeing with the pink-haired fairy, as he kept slicing the vines away, jumping from a Dryad to the other one upon collecting a number of vines.

The cut vines were collected and piled up by Soukichi, close by. Grimm did the same, placing the vines he had cut and had been holding in his mouth in the same place. It wasn't long before quite a number of scavenged vines was amassed. Upon glancing at the amount collected, Satoshi decided that it would have been enough.

"Ok, we're done here." he claimed. At those words, Merrilee's ice, which had been immobilizing the Dryads, shattered. Immediately, the little critters ran away to safety, hiding behind the closest bushes and trees they were able to find.

"Wow, now that's a load of vines!" Soukichi exclaimed, upon noticing the rather large amount collected.

"That should be more than enough." his brother added. The two travelers collected the vines and began carrying them back to Helonia.

"To think that we had to hurt what were basically animals to get these..." Satoshi muttered. Soukichi heard him, and understood the amber-eyed young man's feelings upon looking up at his face.

"I know what you mean, Nii-san..." he said "To fight them in game was one thing, but we just met them in the flesh..."

"Yeah, exactly!" Satoshi replied.

"Game?" Grimm couldn't help but ask "What are you guys talking about?" His partner let out a small sigh and dismissed the question.

"It's a long story..."

"In any case, Satoshi-kun..." Merrilee said, floating close to the young swordsman "I noticed that you showed respect to those little critters before cutting their vines..."

"That was the least I could do." he replied, seriously.

"That's really admirable!" the twin-tailed fairy beamed. "Most people don't even consider that!"

"I know..." Satoshi sighed in response.

"Being in this world sure does change one's perspective, doesn't it?" Soukichi mused as well. Eventually, their steps led them back in town, to the rear entrance of the "Good Food Time" restaurant.

"We have the vines!" Satoshi said as they entered the kitchen. Immediately, the head chef came to meet them and looked at what they had managed to collect, finding himself impressed.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, as he took the vines "Now this is a supply that will be lasting for quite some time! Good job!"

"You're welcome, sir." Soukichi replied, while Satoshi simply bowed in response.

"Now, I've just gotten word of another shortage." the head chef said, having another request for them "There's an ingredient we need you to collect."

"And what is that?" Soukichi asked.

"Something actually edible, this time around." the chef replied "Apples." Hearing that word, Merrilee immediately exulted, beaming brightly.

"Yaaaaay!" she exclaimed, leaving the others surprised by her reaction.

"Wow..." Soukichi uttered.

"Well… I guess she loves apples..." Satoshi added.

"Yes, I really love them!" Merrilee nodded happily at the remark.

"You have no idea, man..." Grimm added. The chef simply chuckled at the pink-haired girl's happiness.

"Well, good for you." he said.

"Excuse me, sir..." Satoshi asked "At this point, I have a question. Do you have a ranch, a farm or something from which to get safely grown apples?" The head chef smiled at that.

"Good question, young man." he replied "Actually, we do have one, but it's been falling on hard times recently, so it would be best not to bother them, for now. Don't worry, though. You can still find nice, good apples in the forest."

"I see..." Satoshi nodded in understanding. "In that case, we'll be right back." With that, the two travelers and the Eidolons accompanying them moved out. Meanwhile, Miyuki and Tyr were cooking close by. The former smiled upon hearing her partner's happiness for the job they had been assigned.

"Why are you smiling, Miyuki-san?" Tyr couldn't help but ask, noticing her mood.

"Oh, nothing." the woman replied "I was just amused. After all, when your friends are excited, you can't help but feel excited, too..."

"Personally I'm more impressed than anything else..." Tyr replied "Impressed that Merrilee's love for apples would be this deep..." Miyuki chuckled at the remark.

"By the way, Tyr-kun..." she said "I can see that you're doing rather good in here." To that, Tyr began blushing brightly.

"Wh-why, thank you. Of course, I strived my best to learn..." he replied, embarrassedly

"Tell me, when have you begun to learn?" Miyuki asked.

"Uhm..." Tyr uttered, still blushing. It was then that the woman remembered what Serena had said about it shortly before.

"Or maybe I should ask… Since when you know Ayako-chan?" At that, right when he thought he couldn't blush any more than he had been, the blue-clad warrior's face became red like a ripe tomato, as he embarrassedly lowered his gaze.

" _So we're doing this now, aren't we?_ " he thought. At first, he struggled to even get voice out of his mouth, but then, he took a deep breath and gave a clean answer.

"What Serena had told you was true." he said "We've known each other for quite a long time, and I do think of her as a little sister..."

"Awww, that's cute." she replied "You must care a lot for her, especially since you've learnt to cook for her sake..."

"I just don't want to see her sad or angry..." Tyr said, still blushing, and not looking at her, but his voice got more serious as he continued "I ended up seeing her sad a lot of times, after I got hurt during my warrior training..."

"That means she cares for you as well!" Miyuki readily replied, smiling brightly "You're lucky to have such a caring and sweet little sister!" The blue-haired young man's eyes widened, as a small smile made its way on his face.

"Yeah, I guess I am..." he replied, thoughtfully.

"Though, I can only imagine how jealous she could get when some girl notices you, cute as you are..." At Miyuki's remark, Tyr's blush returned as he immediately turned his eyes to her, embarrassed and annoyed.

"That crosses the line, Miyuki-san!" he exclaimed "I'm not cute! I'm the One-Handed God of War, I'm supposed to represent power, regardless of height or anything else!"

"Enough chatter, bolt boy!" the head chef called, making both the interns jolt "Focus on your job!"

"Yes, sir!" Tyr immediately replied, his mind fully returning to the food he was cooking. Miyuki couldn't help but let out an amused giggle as she resumed working alongside him…

" _So, he's sensitive about being called "cute", eh?_ " she thought, a smile on her face " _But I did mean it..._ "

Meanwhile, the Yatsumura brothers and the Eidolons accompanying them made their way to the forest, carrying a bag in which the apples they were tasked to find. Merrilee hummed merrily as she went with them. It wasn't long before they found trees with crisp red apples dangling from the branches.

"Found them." Satoshi exclaimed.

"Yay! Apples!" the twin-tailed girl exclaimed happily, before lunging towards one of the apples and grabbing it. Immediately, Satoshi opened up the bag for her to drop the apple inside, and she did so, before immediately flying off to look for more apples.

"Grimm, keep the bag open while we look for apples, and guard it." Soukichi said, as his brother let go of the bag, for Grimm to catch "But make sure not to damage our apples!"

"I'll try." Grimm replied, with a nod, as he caught the bag and kept it open. Meanwhile, Merrilee and the two siblings began picking any apple they were able to find and putting them in the bag.

"These apples are so beautiful..." Merrilee said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the apple in her hands "And they look so tasty, too…" She felt herself drawn to the apple. Satoshi noticed her, as she was just about to take a bite.

"Merrilee-san!" he called her, prompting her to get the apple away from her face "Please don't eat any apples. We'll have to bring as much as possible to the kitchen." The Eidolon nodded, albeit with a slightly saddened expression on her face.

"Come on!" Soukichi added "Once we're done, we'll be having lunch in there. Who knows, you might even eat apples or apple-based dishes there!"

"Really?" At those words, Merrilee's face brightened up. "Great! That's something to look forward to!" Satoshi smiled at the pink-haired girl's excitement as he resumed collecting apples.

" _That apple looks delicious..._ " the amber-eyed youth thought upon seeing a crisp, juicy red apple hanging from the branch of a nearby tree " _I'll get it later and put it in the bag._ " He then focused on collecting some other apples, before his eyes returned to it. Much to his shock, the apple was no longer there. " _What?!_ "

"Whoa! Did that apple just disappear?!" Grimm exclaimed in shock, having witnessed the occurrence as well.

"What? Oh no!" Merrilee exclaimed in dismay upon hearing those words "Is someone stealing them?"

"I would say something, rather than someone..." Satoshi replied "This is a forest. Any animal could possibly..."

"Hey!" His explanation was cut off by his younger brother's cry as two little paws snatched an apple away before he could grab it. The creature to which the small paws belonged, a small raccoon-like critter, eventually came into sight, attempting to run away.

"Uh, guys?" Soukichi said "I think I know what did it, now..." In that moment, some of the little raccoon-like critters appeared in sight of his older brother and of the two Eidolons.

"I see them, too!" Satoshi exclaimed. "They look a lot like Tanuki..."

"Awww, look at how cute they are!" Merrilee couldn't help but fawn over them.

"Uh, Merrilee-chan? They're taking our apples..." Grimm reminded, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

" _Oh, great..._ " Satoshi thought, grimly " _And here I hoped that this would have not made me hurt any more animals..._ " Soukichi let out a sigh as he took out his cannon, under the increasingly concerned eyes of the little fairy.

"Sorry, but we need those apples so..." the boy said as he aimed the cannon up in the air "Scram." He then fired a shot in the air. At the loud sound, all of the Tanuki close by dropped the apples they were holding and fled in fright.

"Whew, more apples for us." Soukichi exclaimed in satisfaction as he crouched and began collecting the apples "Guess the oldest trick in the book always works."

"And, most importantly, we didn't have to hurt them." Satoshi added, gaining a nod from his younger brother and a sigh of relief from the pink-haired girl floating beside him. Soukichi brought the apples he had collected to the open bag and put them inside it, filling it almost to the brim.

"Well, this amount should be more than enough to bring back to the restaurant." the boy stated, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

"In that case, we should go back." Satoshi added "It shouldn't be long before lunch time hits." With that, the two travelers and the Eidolons accompanying them headed back to the restaurant, carrying their bag of apples.

And so, the first errand of the otherworldly Envoys was complete...


	9. Chapter 9: Fruitful Lunchtime

Chapter 9: Fruitful Lunchtime

After their apple collecting session, the Yatsumura brothers, along with the Eidolons accompanying them, were crossing the gates of Helonia, heading for the restaurant "Good Food Time", where they were supposed to deliver the food they had retrieved.

"Whew, what a harvest we had!" Soukichi sighed in satisfaction.

"I wish I could have taken a bite from one of those crisp apples..." Merrilee said, a bit sadly "But alas, there are so many people who will be wanting them at the restaurant, for sure..." Satoshi noticed that the twin-tailed girl was not in the highest spirits, and the right words to cheer her up came to his mind almost instantly.

"Don't worry about that, Merrilee-san." he said, prompting the little ice mage to turn to him "You'll most likely be among those who will want food there, along with the rest of us, and eat the apples you like so much!"

"Really?" Merrilee replied, with hope in her voice.

"Yes." the amber-eyed youth replied, with a nod "I was thinking, once we're done with this, we could use the money from our errand to eat at that restaurant!" Soukichi, who had been hearing the conversation alongside his partner, grinned at the prospect, and gave a thumbs up at his older brother.

"Sounds like a plan." he said "We'll have to tell Tyr and Miyuki-san." The youth nodded in response.

"Yaaaay!" Merrilee exclaimed, unable to contain her joy, and went to hug Satoshi "Thank you so much, Satoshi-kun!"

"Y-You don't need to thank me..." the young man hesitantly replied, with a slight blush, as Soukichi and Grimm watched with huge, amused grins on their faces.

Suddenly, a poster fixed on the notice-board on the side of the pathway that led to the town caught the swordsman's attention. The three people traveling beside him turned their gaze to the same direction as well, looking at the poster. It was a leaflet which promised a reward to anyone who could slay a beast called Kalna "Massive Clamps", which appeared to be a giant hermit crab. An officer watching the gate noticed the travelers as they looked at the leaflet and approached them.

"Can I help you?" he asked, catching the Envoys' attention.

"Oh, we're sorry." Satoshi was the one to answer the guard's query "We were just looking at that poster over there..." The guard looked at the leaflet as well.

"Oh, that..." he mused, knowing exactly what to say to the curious youth, before turning back to him "That's a bounty. We'll give a conspicuous reward to anyone who will be able to slay some beasts that have been roaming around this area and striking fear into the hearts of our people."

"I see..." the amber-eyed youth said, pensively, before bowing politely. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." the officer replied, calmly "If you're interested, you should make sure you're well prepared." Once he had said those words of warning, he left, heading back to his post. The travelers checked the noticeboard again and, upon closer inspection, realized that there were four bounty leaflets. The other three beasts infesting the coast were Beita, a giant beetle known as the "Axe of Ages", Wade, a stone golem simply known as the "Destroyer", and Sloar, a giant snail-like creature with one ferocious eye, defined by its "Violent Gaze".

"Those beasts do look very dangerous..." Merrilee murmured, looking at the four posters with concern.

"Nothing that we can't overcome together!" Grimm replied, confidently.

"It might be best to tell Tyr and Miyuki-san about this..." Soukichi suggested.

"Agreed." his older brother replied with a nod. With that, the two youths resumed walking towards the restaurant, where their friends and the people they were helping were waiting for them. It wasn't long before they were in front of the rear entrance that led to the kitchen. They entered and, as soon as the head chef was in front of them, they presented him what they were able to collect. Upon seeing the amount, a smile sprung on the man's features.

"Great job, everyone!" he said "Now this is a prime supply of apples!"

"Mmm… Apples..." Words of wishing and craving slipped from Merrilee's lips. The chef didn't fail to notice this, and let out a hearty laugh.

"Well, I have great news for you, apple-loving girl!" he proclaimed "You can eat all the apples you want today!" The pink-haired girl gasped in shock at those words.

"Really?!" she asked, with hope shining in her eyes.

"Yep." the head chef replied, with a vigorous nod "Since this is your first time here, and since you've helped a great deal here, not only you will get some well-earned gold, but your first lunch here will be free!" Tyr and Miyuki's eyes widened as they heard that statement.

"Wow!" Soukichi and Grimm exclaimed in happiness. Their joy, however, was nothing compared to Merrilee's.

"Yaaaay! Yaaaay!" she cheered, floating around, unable to contain herself, much to the amusement of everyone in the kitchen. Then, she bowed repeatedly to the man. "Thank you, thank you so much, sir!"

"It's my pleasure, girl!" the man replied with a huge grin sitting on his features.

" _Well, it was easier than I expected..._ " Satoshi couldn't help but think, smiling at himself. However, he had something to say.

"Excuse me, sir." he asked, catching the attention of the head of the kitchen "Are you sure it's safe to dismiss us now, since it should be the peak of business at this hour?"

"Thank you for your concern, young man." the man replied, matter-of-factly "But you don't have to worry about a thing. Thanks to you guys' help, we've got a good rhythm going, and we'll have no trouble at all in keeping it up." He then patted the amber-eyed youth's shoulder before heading away to fetch the adventurers' rewards. In the meantime, Rosie went to Miyuki and Tyr, who understood what she wanted and, as if on cue, took off their cooking aprons and gave them to her.

"Great work today!" she said, with a warm smile "Thank you so much for the help!"

"You're welcome." Miyuki replied, smiling back "I'm glad we were able to help." Satoshi and Soukichi walked to them, followed by Merrilee and Grimm.

"So, how did it go?" the amber-eyed youth asked to his Eidolon.

"It was quite intense, but we managed." the blue-clad warrior replied.

"He may not look like it now..." Miyuki added, with a smile of amusement "But as he cooked, Tyr-kun seemed to enjoy his cooking." The clarification prompted the blue-haired young man to blush brightly.

"That was unnecessary, Miyuki-san!" he protested. Both the Yatsumura brothers couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.

"Looks like your experience with Ayako paid off here." Satoshi commented, making the blush on his partner's face intensify.

"Always better than having her bite someone." the One-Handed God of War protested once more "She's a biter, you know!" The amber-eyed youth couldn't help but sweatdrop at that bit of information.

"Why am I not surprised by that…?" he murmured. It was right then that the head chef walked behind the adventurers.

"Ahem." he called their attention, before handing little pouches to each and everyone of them. "Here are our rewards for the hard work."

"Thank you very much, sir!" Satoshi thanked, with a bright smile on his face.

"Oh no, thank you!" the man replied, smiling in kind. "You've helped a great deal today! You've earned this!" he then walked away.

"So, mind if I take you to your table, now?" Rosie kindly offered, to which Miyuki nodded.

"Oh, yes, thank you very much!" she replied, prompting the young woman to bow courteously.

"Then please follow me." she said, as she began leading the three otherworldly Envoys and their Eidolons out of the kitchen and to the dining area. They walked among the tables, most of which were completely occupied by guests, intent on eating and talking with one another. The sound of chatter filled the air.

Eric was sitting at one of the tables with his parents and Serena, when he noticed the adventurers walking in the hall. As soon as they were about to pass by his table, he raised his hand, with a smile on his face.

"Hi there!" he greeted, cheerfully.

"Oh, hello, Eric-kun!" Miyuki greeted him back with a warm smile, just before she passed him by.

"How did the job go?" Eric asked once more, This time, it was Satoshi's turn to reply to him.

"It went smoothly, for a first run." he said, brightly, as he followed his fellow travelers. Eric's parents looked at their son, with a mixture of confusion and concern written all over their features.

"So they were the adventurers that have just worked here..." his father commented, to which the boy on the wheelchair nodded.

"They don't seem to be ill-intentioned people..."Mrs. Andersen added, with slight relief making its way within her.

"Of course they don't!" her son replied, smiling brightly.

"How did you meet them?" Mr. Andersen asked.

"On the beach." Eric replied "They were befriending Kazumi and Ayako when I found them." As they spoke, Serena was happily eating some fresh carrots.

"Oh, I guess that explains a lot..." his mother mused "You never hid how much you admire people like them, did you?" The boy nodded at the true statement.

"Yeah." he said, smiling "Most of them are people to admire, like Kazumi and her new friends." But then, his smile faltered as he touched a much more melancholic topic "I can't help but be a little jealous of them, at times..." as he said those words, he thoughtfully stroked the armrest of his wheelchair.

"Eric..." his mother murmured, sadly, concerned at her son's melancholy.

"There's nothing in this world I enjoy more than learning new things, but one must go out of the boundaries of what he knows to find something truly new." the boy continued "That's the kind of adventurer I would be..."

Meanwhile, the three otherworldly Envoys were seated at their table, and had already begun looking at the menu that "Good Food Time" had to offer.

"Wow, this menu is really varied." Miyuki commented, with a smile on her face. Tyr said nothing, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his curiosity.

"Well, some of these dishes don't seem to be anything too different from what we have in Japan..." Soukichi commented.

"Well, all the better for us." his older brother added "That should make it easier for us to approach the food of this world."

"Yes, I agree." Miyuki added, with a smile on her face.

"Well, your world and Terra do share apples." Merrilee commented, cheerfully "And I already love your world for it." she then let out a happy giggle.

"But it makes you wonder, how much do our world and Terra actually have in common…?" the ocean-eyed woman mused, with a thoughtful smile on her face, before looking at her Eidolon "What do you think, Merrilee-chan?"

"Hmmm..." the pink-haired mage thought about it for a moment, before replying… "Good question. I think I can say for sure that humans are the main point of contact between the two worlds… Humans do live in both, after all..." Then, she couldn't help but add, with a cheerful smile "Oh, and of course, apples!" That clarification prompted everyone to chuckle. The youngest of the Yatsumura brothers, with a grin on his face, turned towards his partner.

"What do you say, Grimm?" he asked.

"Me? I'm not that picky." the little dragon replied, in a crescendo of excitement. "If there's anything to eat, it'll be delicious all the same!"

"You do need to make sure you eat well, in order to have enough energy to travel and fight." Tyr added to that, with a nod of approval.

"Of course you had to mention fighting..." Satoshi murmured, with a sweatdrop on his head, making the blue-clad young man turn to him with a bothered expression.

"Well, what do you expect?" he replied "I'm the One-Handed God of War."

"Well..." Grimm joined in, bashfully scratching the back of his head "We did find out about powerful monsters to fight, didn't we?"

"Oh, right!" the amber-eyed youth exclaimed upon remembering.

"What do you mean, Grimm-kun?" Miyuki asked, slightly confused.

"While Soukichi and I were on our way back to the town after collecting the apples..." Satoshi replied "We found a bulletin board with some leaflets affixed. They were bounty posters for four dangerous monsters roaming in this area."

"If someone defeats them and brings proof of their defeat to the guards at the entrance of the town, he gets a reward for it." his younger brother added.

"Oh, I see..." Miyuki murmured in understanding.

"I'm sorry." Satoshi coyly said, scratching the back of his head "Maybe I should have talked about it earlier..." The raven-haired woman traveling with him, however, shook her head, with a warm smile.

"It's fine, Satoshi-kun." she replied.

"Now that sounds interesting!" Tyr commented, with a confident smile.

"Wooo-heee!" Grimm cheered in excitement "We have monsters to fight."

"And if we pull it off well, we can even earn bucks for it!" Soukichi exclaimed, sharing his partner's excitement.

"Hold on, you two." his older brother stopped him "We can't just up and go. We need to make sure we have enough combat experience, first..." While Grimm puffed his cheeks in annoyance, prompting Merrilee and Miyuki to giggle sweetly, the amber-eyed boy crossed his arms and nodded seriously.

"True that." he replied.

"Wise words, Satoshi." Tyr added, nodding in agreement as well.

"By the way, Grimm." the swordsman then said, turning to the little dragon "Thanks for reminding me."

"You're welcome!" Grimm cheerfully replied "You know I'm always burning to fight baddies!" In that moment, Rosie came to their table.

"Are you lovely people ready to order?" she cheerfully asked, making the boys blush slightly.

"Yes, we've chosen our picks." Miyuki replied. And so, everyone gave their orders, asking for the dishes they were most interested in. Unsurprisingly, Merrilee's picks were almost exclusively apple-based dishes.

"Now then, we'll be coming back with your orders in no time." Rosie said, before walking away "Just a moment, please."

"Thank you, Rosie!" Satoshi thanked her, just before she headed back to the kitchen. With that matter settled, the conversation between the travelers continued.

"So, Nii-san..." Soukichi then asked "What's our game plan?"

"First of all..." his older brother answered with the idea he had in mind "We need to find out what troubles Mayor Breeze and help her with it. Before we do anything, we'll have to ask Luther what's going on, as Eric suggested."

"Sounds like a plan." the amber-eyed boy replied, giving his brother a thumbs up.

"Do you have an idea about what she might need help with?" Miyuki asked. It was then that the youth recalled what the woman was muttering to herself, worriedly, when he had first seen her,

" _We're still missing half… What do we do..._ "

"Something tells me it'll have to do with supply collecting." he then gave his reply, based upon those words.

"Again? Oh, come on!" Grimm exclaimed annoyedly, clearly less than happy to do a task that could be defined as no more than a chore again.

"At least we won't need to harm any more poor critters to do that..." Merrilee mused, a bit sadly.

"Hopefully..." Satoshi thoughtfully murmured, agreeing with the twin-tailed Eidolon.

" _Man, it's getting gloomy in here..._ " Soukichi couldn't help but think. However, in the instant he had finished speaking that thought in his mind, Rosie came back to their table with their dishes, lightening up the mood with her cheerful demeanor.

"Here's your order!" she said as she laid the plates in front of the clients "Eat fast, before it gets cold!" she then winked at them, making the boys blush again, and went back to the kitchen. Merrilee gazed at the apple dish in her plate with eyes sparkling from happiness.

"Does she act like that with all of her clients?" Miyuki couldn't help but think, with an amused smile on her face.

"I don't know..." Satoshi replied.

"Beats me." His younger brother added, spreading his arms out. Then, the three Envoys clasped their hands together

"Itadakimasu!" they said, before digging in the food, along with their Eidolons.


	10. Chapter 10: Assisting the Mayor

Chapter 10: Assisting the Mayor

After their hearty lunch, the three travelers and the Eidolons accompanying them headed out of the "Good Food Time" restaurant, with the intent of heading to Luther's market and ask him about what was on Mayor Madeline's mind.

"Thank you for the meal." Miyuki said, thanking Rosie on behalf of the party.

"You're very welcome." Rosie replied, with a warm smile and a bow "Please come again!"

With that, the otherworldly Envoys headed to the plaza. As they walked on, both of the Yatsumura brothers notices two girls, with long brown hair and eyes of the same color, quite similar to each other, which was a certain hint of kinship, yet with different heights, both staring dreamily at a handsome merchant, with raven-black hair and green eyes, and with an eyepatch covering his left eye, who seemed to be selling weapons. It was clear, however, that the two sisters were not interested in the goods, but in the man who was selling them. A boy with short brown hair and brown eyes, most likely the little brother of the two girls was standing close by, observing the scene with an uneasy gaze. Clearly, he felt uncomfortable in that situation.

"Wow..." the oldest sister murmured, dazedly, as he looked at the merchant alongside her younger sister "That merchant is so hot..." Suddenly, the man seemed to turn in their direction with a smile, apparently having noticed the infatuated stares he was receiving from the two girls, before serving an incoming customer. The gesture was enough to make the eyes of both the sisters widen in surprise and joy.

"Ah! He smiled right at me!" the younger sister squealed, with a deep blush, both of her hands in front of her mouth "So embarrassing..."

"You should be." the older sister quipped, annoyed "Besides, he was looking at me!"

"Errr..." the little brother of the two uttered, in the vain attempt of drawing the two girls' attention

"What?" the younger girl replied, clearly angered by the remark "No way! He was definitely looking at me! Why would he even bother looking at you!"

"Uh-oh..." Soukichi whispered, quickly understanding where this was heading, and Satoshi shared his sentiment with a displeased sigh, as Tyr looked at the two brothers confusedly, apparently not understanding why that scene interested them so.

"Both of you just shut up!" the younger brother finally exclaimed in annoyance "He's not even looking over here anymore! And who ever said that he was looking at either of you?"

"That doesn't matter anymore!" the older sister replied "Which of us is prettier? Me or her?" The sudden turn of the conversation surprised the boy as much as it did the Yatsumura brothers.

"Yeah. Which one of us is cuter?" the younger sister added, in a tone that made clear her demand for an answer, much to the boy's chagrin and embarrassment.

"Oh, brother..." Satoshi murmured, unamused.

"Let's just go away, before we get involved into this." Soukichi suggested, sharing his older brother's discomfort, to which the amber-eyed youth hummed in agreement. They needed no further signal from each other to resume walking and get away from the arguing sisters.

"Uhhh..." the boy fidgeted uncomfortably in front of his sisters in the meantime, until he thought safer to escape from the argument "I gotta use the bathroom. Be right back!" he said, before running away.

"Hey!" the younger girl exclaimed, angrily.

"Where do you think you're going?" her older sister added.

"Hmph. Such vanity." Tyr commented as soon as they were out of the sisters' reach.

"Man, I would hate to be in their brother's place..." Soukichi added, shaking his head.

"Let's just go to Luther..." Satoshi said, and with that, the three travelers resumed their walk towards Luther's market. It didn't take long for them to reach it, and the merchant noticed them and recognized them as they got closer to his stand.

"Oh, hello there!" he greeted them "How can I help you?"

"Hello, Luther." Satoshi replied "So, we couldn't help but notice that something's on the Mayor's mind. What is it? Can we help with it?" At those words, Luther's eyes widened in shock upon understanding that they knew that Mrs. Breeze was feeling uneasy, and then he let out a deep sigh, before answering the travelers' question cleanly.

"At this point it's only fair for you to know..." he began, somberly "Not long ago, the Catseye Pirate Crew threatened the Mayor, demanding protection money. They said that if she didn't comply, all of Helonia would suffer. The deadline to pay them off is approaching, and we're still missing half the goods. The Mayor is scrambling to solve the crisis..." Upon hearing those grave words, the travelers and the creatures accompanying them exchanged meaningful glances, and nodded to one another before looking back to the merchant.

"Well, if we may, we would like to help with collecting the goods." Miyuki stated, on behalf of the six. The kind offer surprised Luther.

"Really?" he exclaimed "I mean, you're not residents of Helonia… You don't have any reasons to get involved in our troubles."

"I'm pretty sure we do." Soukichi replied, with a grin "We've taken up a job in this town, after all, and have taken part in its life. To see such a lively town go downhill would be an unbelievable waste..."

"We had the chance of getting to know the people of Helonia, the ones who bring life to it." Satoshi added "And simply, we can't sit by as we see these people go through murky waters..."

"It is a warrior's duty to help those in need." Tyr stated proudly.

"You don't need to pay us, either." Miyuki added, with a warm smile "As travelers, to see this town thriving is more than enough as a reward."

"But of course, Miyuki-san!" the blue-haired warrior remarked, a hint of offense audible in his voice "When performing his duties, a true warrior should expect nothing in return."

"That much we know, Tyr." his human partner replied, almost in a sigh. Luther looked at them with eyes wide in stupor, then a smile sprung on his features.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" he said "I have no words to express how grateful I am!" At those words, the Envoys and their Eidolons smiled.

"So, what do we need to do?" Satoshi asked. Upon hearing the question, Luther immediately piped down enough to explain the situation to them.

"Alright, then..." he began "As far as I know, the pirates are demanding, among other things, the fruit that grows on the Helonia Coast."

"Collecting fruits is nothing new to us." Soukichi stated, confidently "What does it look like?"

"Oh boy, we have to collect fruits again..." Grimm commented, rolling his eyes, half-annoyed at having to collect a food that he did not enjoy.

"Well..." the merchant explained "It's a round orange fruit. It's shaped like a plum, but it's slightly bigger. You can find it easily in the forest. It's Selena's favorite..." At those last words, he trailed off, as he blushed scarlet.

" _Selena?_ " Satoshi couldn't help but think " _I've already heard that name before..._ " He remembered having heard it from the lips of the very same Mayor Madeline Breeze they had spoken of.

"Who's Selena?" Merrilee voiced his doubts "And why does she make you this nervous?" Luther flinched at that question, but he recollected enough of his wits to answer.

"Um, Selena is the Mayor's daughter." He smoothed his hair as he spoke, clearly flustered because of the topic at hand "We grew up together..."

"Hmmm..." the amber-eyed youth hummed in response.

"Your pulse has quickened..." Tyr sensed "That usually happens when you're afraid of something. Is this Selena a wretched monster of some kind?"

"Tyr!" Satoshi exclaimed, wide-eyed and not amused by the conclusion his companion had jumped to, while Merrilee simply gave the One-Handed God of War a blank stare. The youth's brother and his Eidolon failed to hold back a snort.

"No, not at all!" an embarrassed Luther was quick to correct, raising his arms in a gesture of defense "Selena is a wonderful, beautiful girl. I..."Once again, he trailed off, his face decorated by a crimson blush as he looked away "I've actually always liked her..." Merrilee couldn't help but let out a slight squeak upon hearing that statement.

"Now, this might be a little too personal, but..." Satoshi decided to ask at that point "Do you know if the relationship between the Mayor and her daughter has fallen on rocky grounds, as of late?" Upon hearing that question, the merchant's expression became somber.

"As much as I hoped not to touch this subject..." he replied "Yes. Her relationship with her mother isn't exactly the greatest. It began showing signs of fragility a couple of years after the death of her father..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." the amber-eyed youth murmured, his gaze slightly lowered "I didn't mean-" Luther interrupted him, raising his hand and showing him a smile that had visible hints of sadness.

"I know you meant no harm, Satoshi. Don't worry." he replied "She's been through a lot, and that's molded her into the girl she is now, for better or for worse..." The three travelers, along with their companions, stood silent as they let those powerful words sink in their minds.

"She's such a bright girl, open-hearted and strong-willed..." Luther said, every word of his filled with feeling. Then he shook his head and brought himself back on topic, a slight, flustered blush decorating his face once more "But I digress." he continued, as he took a large basket and handed it to them "Once you've collected a good supply of those fruits, go directly to the mayor and hand it over to her."

"Will do." Satoshi replied with a nod, before taking the basket heading out with his partner and his fellow Envoys.

"Many thanks again!" Luther thanked once more, as they went away from the counter. Their steps led them to the forest once more.

Once they reached their destination, they immediately looked at the trees for the fruit they were tasked with collecting. As said by Luther, it was relatively easy to find, hanging from the trees. However, just like the apples they had collected for the restaurant, the fruits strangely began disappearing from the branches. Satoshi sighed as he understood what that meant…

"Tanuki again..." he muttered. At that, his younger brother immediately took his cannon.

"You know the drill." he said, as he raised his weapon to the heavens and fired a shell. Just as expected, the little critters immediately dropped the fruits they were carrying on the ground before scurrying around in fright upon hearing the shot. The Envoys noticed that they were running in the direction they had come from.

"Guys..." Soukichi wondered "Is it just me or they're winding up closer to Helonia?"

"Probably..." Miyuki replied, as they resumed collecting the fruits. As soon as the basket was filled up with a satisfactory quantity of fruits, they decided that it was time to head back to Helonia and consign their loot to Mayor Madeline. They quickly headed back to the coastal town and walked the distance that divided the entrance from the town hall. They knocked on the door of the building and waited in front of it. Soon enough, the aged woman opened the door, bearing a less than pleased expression on her face.

"How can I help y-" she intended to ask the reason for the visit of the three strangers, but her tongue stopped in its tracks and her eyes widened as soon as she saw the basket of fruits they were carrying, the fruits she was looking for, to give as an insurance to the pirates. "Why do you have those fruits?" she asked, utterly surprised and puzzled.

"Please let us explain." Satoshi began, as he laid the fruits in front of Madeline "We're travelers who have come to this town just today. We wanted to make ourselves useful, while we were here..."

"That's why we took a job at the "Good Food Time" restaurant at lunch." Soukichi continued, as Madeline listened intently "While we were heading there, though, we caught wind of something that seemed to be happening in the town..."

"So we asked Luther Goldsworth, who had welcomed us when we came here…" Miyuki concluded "And he told us about the pirate protection insurance issue. We hope that the fruits we have collected may be enough to please the pirates..." Once the explanation was over, the mayor's stern features slightly melted in a smile.

"I see..." she said "You have my gratitude, travelers. And Luther has it, too." However, the smile faltered as she made a remark "Selena… If she were even just half as mature and considerate as he is, I wouldn't have to worry so much about her..."

" _That says a lot about the relationship between mother and daughter here… So Luther was right..._ " Satoshi thought, pondering over how the merchant's account was confirmed by those words, as Madeline sighed heavily, before showing that relieved smile once more to the travelers.

"Anyway..." she asked "May I ask for your names, travelers?" The three otherworldly Envoys nodded, with a smile of their own.

"I'm Yatsumura Satoshi." the amber-eyed youth was the first one to introduce himself, followed by his brother.

"I'm his younger brother. The name's Yatsumura Soukichi."

"And I'm Sazanami Miyuki." the raven-haired woman concluded.

"It's nice to meet you all." the Mayor smiled at them "The creatures accompanying you look quite peculiar..."

"Eidolons, please." Tyr corrected, before introducing himself as well "I am Tyr."

"I'm Merrilee!" the twin-tailed mage added, cheerily.

"And I'm Grimm." the little dragon was the last one to introduce himself. Upon hearing all the names, Madeline gave a nod of understanding, still smiling, albeit faintly.

"I must say, travelers..." she remarked "I've scarcely heard names like yours before. You must come from very far… I suspect you come from the same land another traveler visiting Helonia may come from..."

"You mean Yamanouchi Kazumi-san?" Satoshi replied "We've happened to meet her before we took our first job here."

"I'm glad to hear that." Madeline said, her smile slightly widening "She has done good for the inhabitants of this town, and has gained the trust of the Andersen family. I'm sure you already know that their son, Eric, is being accompanied by an… Eidolon as well, as of late..."

"Yes, we know that." Soukichi confirmed with a nod. At that point, the smile on the mayor's face faded, much to the travelers' concern, as the mood turned serious once more.

"I'm really sorry..." she said "I wish this would have been a better time for you to visit our town, I really do..." she then let out a deep sigh, once more.

"No need to worry about that." Satoshi said, shaking his head "We're here to help, to the best of our abilities."

"Thank you, travelers..." Madeline replied, but her expression didn't show any signs of lighting up "I might have to rely on you quite a bit. I must apologize."

"As we've said, it's fine." the amber-eyed youth assured "If there's anything we can help with..." Madeline sighed, as she reminisced over something else that was putting a strain on her.

"I don't know if you may already heard about it, but my daughter Selena and I have been fighting, too..." she sadly stated "Less than a week ago, we exchanged words, and she just up and left… I haven't heard form her ever since… I can't help but worry about her..."

"Yes, Luther has told us about that, too..." Miyuki added, with a nod.

"I just want her to be safe..." she sadly mused, shaking her head, before switching to another topic "And to top it all off, the Tanuki outside the town have been squawking and squeaking frequently lately, so I haven't been able to think clearly. Whenever one thinks that they've stopped, they start again! I've had a migraine for months… So, if you could please drive them away from the town, that would help greatl-" Before the mayor was able to finish her sentence, mildly loud squeaking noises started close by. "Aagh!" Madeline groaned, clutching her head.

"Is that what you meant?" Soukichi asked, to which the mayor nodded, still holding her head.

"Then we have no time to waste!" Satoshi exclaimed. The otherworldly Envoys needed no further signal to rush at the entrance of the town. Soon enough , they found in front of them a large group of Tanuki scurrying about at a short distance from the entrance. Soukichi's first thought was to take out his cannon, however, Miyuki extended her arm, signaling him to stop.

"Hold on, Soukichi-kun!" she said, as she took out her spellbook "I have an idea." she then opened up her book and extended her hand, releasing a sonic wave which pushed back the tanuki.

" _That was one of the spells written in this book..._ " she thought " _the Sonic Boom..._ " The Yatsumura brothers stood close by, watching the result of the sorcerer's initiative: the tanuki were dispersed and fearful of her.

But she wasn't done yet. As she slowly retracted her arm, a strange, magical sound frequency permeated the air. Satoshi and Soukichi could only perceive it as wind, but for the tanuki, it was like an ear-piercing onslaught. The critters yelped in pain as they ran away, retreating in the forest. At that point, Tyr intervened.

"Allow me." he said, confidently, as he took out his trusted weapons: two bladed pistols, imbued with the power of electricity. He then fired an arc of small electric balls which eventually created small glyphs. From the symbols, lightning bolts came out, driving the tanuki further away. Then, finally, the glyphs were engraved in the ground in a continuous pattern which seemed to encase a wide area surrounding the entrance of the coastal town. Satoshi could only look at his partner in awe at what he had done, as well as scarce understanding. Tyr, with a proud smile, readily answered his Envoy's doubts.

"I've just used my powers to drive the tanuki further away, then I've created a field which will act as a repellent for tanuki and similar creatures. This field encases a wide area" At that point, the duelist nodded in understanding and smiled at him.

"Thank you, Tyr." he said "You did a great job!" Upon hearing those words, Tyr immediately blushed scarlet from embarrassment.

"Wh-Why, of course!" he said "I-I'm the One-handed God of War! O-Of course I can do such a thing!" Merrilee and Miyuki giggled and shook their heads amiably at his attempt to look self-assured and imposing.

"Say..." Soukichi wondered "Weren't those the very same Tanuki we scared off to get our fruits?"

"Maybe..." Miyuki replied "In any case, we can stay assured that the citizens will not be disturbed by their noise for quite some time."

"Which means..." the amber-eyed boy grinned as he stretched his arms above his head "We'll also be having a good night's sleep tonight!"

"Guess it's time to report to the Mayor, now..." his older brother suggested, but Miyuki readily rebuked him.

"Maybe we shouldn't disturb her, now that she has some much needed peace and quiet..." she said "Why don't we report to Luther, instead?"

"Great idea!" Satoshi replied, with a nod and a smile.

"Yeah, especially since I would like to ask him something..." Soukichi added. With that, the three travelers headed back in the town, along with their companions.


	11. Chapter 11: Sparks of Resistance

Chapter 11: Sparks of Resistance

Before long, the otherworldly Envoys were in the plaza, in front of Luther's counter.

"How are things going?" the merchant asked, eager to hear what the three travelers had to say.

"We've cleared the town of the Tanuki." Miyuki spoke on behalf of everyone, with a smile on her face "You will be able to enjoy some peace and quiet from now on."

"Really?" Luther replied, with a smile of surprised relief "Thank you so much! They've been causing quite some noise in the town for the past few months…"

"Yes, Breeze-san told us about that..." Satoshi added.

"I'm also glad that you decided to go to me instead of reporting to her directly." Luther remarked "For now, I'm sure she just appreciates the quiet..."

"Um… Luther-san?" Soukichi asked "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away." the merchant replied, with a smile, eager to hear him out. The amber-eyed boy thus expressed his doubt.

"Why don't the people of this town just band together to resist the pirates? Who do they think they are to be pushing you around like this?" Upon hearing those words, Luther's smile faded, and he let out a long sigh.

"The people here just want to leave in peace, and they trying avoiding any problem or harm as best as they can..." he explained "If they can solve the problem by throwing money at it, that's what they'll do..."

"Well, this is a mercantile port, if I'm not wrong..." Satoshi mused, to which the merchant nodded.

"You're absolutely right, Satoshi." he replied.

"But, come on!" Soukichi protested "You can't just be afraid of problems and try to run away from them! If you keep this up, those pirates will trample upon you! That is, if even worse people won't show up and do it first..." At that point, his older brother put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to stop immediately and look at him.

"It's also true that just resisting blindly couldn't possibly work, and would only lead to a brutal retaliation." he stated "The best course of action would be to continue collecting supplies, and to think of something that could take them by surprise in the meantime." After taking in his brother's explanation, Soukichi grinned from ear to ear.

"You bring up a fantastic point, Nii-san!" he exclaimed, as the merchant smiled at the resourcefulness and willingness to help of the travelers.

"We're truly lucky that you've come to this town when you did." he said "You'll surely be happy to know that not everyone in town shares this viewpoint." That statement won him the attention of the Envoys, as well as their Eidolons. He continued "If I remember correctly, the younger of the Fisherman Brothers, Braeden, doesn't want to hand over the cash or goods."

"At least someone willing to take action is in here..." Grimm said, with a relieved smile.

"Perhaps you can find his older brother, Isaac, and come up with a way to convince Braeden with him." the merchant continued "We could really use Braeden's help collecting supplied...

"Not to mention, we can use our little idea as a bargaining chip and use his help for thinking of some defense measures..." Satoshi added, much to his younger brother's amused joy.

"That's the brainiac of a brother I know and love!" he exclaimed, still with a huge grin on his face, prompting the amber-eyed youth to blush in embarrassment, and Miyuki and Luther to giggle at the scene.

"While you take care of that, I'm going to help the Town Mayor with checking the supplies, and then I'll look for clues of where Selena might have gone." the merchant then stated "You make sure to get some rest when you have the chance."

"Ah, before we forget!" Miyuki remembered something she had to ask him "When's the deadline for handing over the protection insurance?"

"Oh, it's in about 4 days." Luther replied "I'm sure that with your help, we can get this done much faster." Miyuki, along with the Yatsumura brothers, nodded with a smile, as they headed off further in the town, looking for the eldest of the Fisherman Brothers. They didn't take long to find him. He had brown hair and eyes as blue as the ocean he fished from. He was handling a stand, in which he sold not only his produce, but also some fishing tools, from rods to baits. There were no clients close by. It was the perfect timing for them to speak with him.

"Excuse us?" Miyuki asked, as her and her fellow Envoys got closer to the stand. The young fisherman noticed them.

"Yes? Can I help you?" he asked, eagerly.

"We're helping with the pirate insurance problem." Miyuki explained. At that, Isaac couldn't help but let out a concerned sigh.

"You should speak with my brother, Braeden, then." he replied "He's the one in charge of our produce, as well as the one who should be handing over the supplies on our behalf, but..." His eyes lowered as he spoke, until he thoughtfully stopped at that word.

"We know about that." Satoshi intervened, catching the fisherman's attention "And we might have a way of convincing him to give the supplies."

"I hope so..." Isaac sighed, looking down "I'm worried about Braeden… He just won't listen to me. There will always be more fish to catch! A few trout aren't worth his life. He just doesn't understand..." he then looked back towards the three travelers "Well, I guess since you're willing to convince him, it's worth a try..." Soukichi slightly narrowed his eyes, less than pleased with the young man's passive ways. His Eidolon shared his sentiment.

"Where can we find Braeden?" Miyuki asked.

"You should be able to find him in the warehouse in which we store our catch." the fisherman replied, pointing the travelers in the direction of what looked like a small house "It's over there."

"Thank you." Miyuki said, with a slight bow, before heading in the direction where Isaac had pointed them, and before long, they were in front of the door of the house that the Fisherman Brothers used as storage. They knocked, and another young man opened up. He had the same blue eyes as Isaac, but his hair was blonde, and he was slightly shorter, which hinted at him being the younger brother of the two.

"Braeden, correct?" Miyuki asked, to which the young man nodded.

"Yes, that's me." he replied "Can I help you? If you want to buy fish, you should speak with my brother, Isaac..."

"So, we've been helping with the protection insurance issue." Miyuki began explaining, making Braeden immediately narrow his eyes in annoyance. "And, as much as you don't like the idea, and we've already been told by your brother, we need your help with the supplied, especially since it could allow us to-" At that point, the woman was interrupted by a peeved Braeden.

"Now let me tell you something." he sternly said "I won't let those rascals threaten me. They need to know that they can't think to scare us, take our stuff and get away with it. I'm not giving them a dime!"

"Braeden, we agree with you! We really do!" Satoshi retorted.

"Oh yeah?" Braeden replied, annoyed "Then why did you come ask me about this?"

"Simple." Satoshi spoke again. "To just resist and refuse would only provoke them and leading to make Helonia pay. We think it would be best to think of ways of driving the pirates away _while_ preparing the supplies for them." The young fisherman stared at them for some moments, his eyes still narrow as he pondered the amber-eyed youth's words, and finally agreed with him.

"You know what? You're right. I didn't think of that. We can't just blatantly resist them. To think of a way to fight back while they're too busy trying to threaten us is a much better idea!"

"Oh, and once we'll be ready, it'll be a lesson that those bastards will never forget!" Soukichi added, scarcely hiding his excitement.

"Of course, we'll need to be as careful as possible if we want this to succeed." Satoshi added. A smile had sprung on Braeden's face as he understood that the travelers were eager to help him fight back against the pirates and free the town of their oppression.

"You can count on me." Braeden replied, with a nod and a thumbs up "I'll prepare the supplies for the pirates, along with some tricks up my sleeve to take them down. I already have some ideas.", then he grinned at the Yatsumura brothers "Say, the two of you are brothers, aren't ya?"

"That's right!" Soukichi answered enthusiastically, as he nodded along with Satoshi. The fisherman looked at the older of the two, his grin widening "You look like a smart one." The remark prompted Satoshi to blush furiously.

"I know, right!" his younger brother added, making him blush more intensely. He sighed as he covered his face with his palm.

"What are your names, by the way?" Braeden eagerly asked, and so the travelers introduced themselves to him.

"Yatsumura Satoshi."

"Yatsumura Soukichi."

"Sazanami Miyuki"

"Well, it's nice to meet you all!" Braeden cheerfully greeted "You know, I've just met you, but I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine." The three otherworldly Envoys smiled at that remark, happy ti have gained the fisherman's trust.

"So, what's our game plan?" Soukichi asked.

"I have some more fresh fish." Braeden began explaining, beating his fist on his palm "We've caught it not that long ago, so I still have to bring it here. Add that to some of our stock, and we should meet the quota. But..." his smile faded once he reached a particular point of his explanation.

"What's the matter?" Miyuki asked, concernedly.

"Sun Crabs. That's the matter." Braeden replied. "The pirates' activity has forced them to gather closer to the town. It's plain to see that they're drawn to the fresh food… They won't make it easy to get the fish… There's even one larger and stronger than the rest. The townsfolk call it Mobray, the Giant Crab."

"Sounds like something on which one of those bounties could be put..." Soukichi commented.

"Close enough." the young fisherman replied, with a giggle. "I think that if you beat it up and bring a trophy to the guards, they'll give you something for sure..."

"Say no more, Braeden!" Grimm said, not containing his excitement "We're gonna take down Mobray for you!" Braeden was surprised by that confident claim.

"You're really up for it?" he asked, concernedly "Those Sun Crabs are no slouches, you know? Their pincers can snap straight through human bone! That only leaves to imagine what the pincers of a bigger one can do."

"In our actual state, that fish represents our best hopes of freeing Helonia." Tyr intervened sternly "We cannot afford to back down."

"Tyr here's right." his partner added "We'll clear the beach of the Crabs and bring back the catch." As he noticed the confidence exuded by those three travelers and their companions, the young fisherman couldn't help but feel hopeful himself, as he smiled at them.

"Thank you, guys." he said "You can find the fish in the southmost part of the beach." The Envoys nodded in understanding, before heading out. "Be careful!" Braeden shouted from behind their backs.

"We will!" Satoshi replied, as he went on with his fellow fighters. Upon entering the beach, they looked at their right, where the area Braeden had told them about was located, and they could see that it was being swarmed by hermit crabs who were approximately the size of a dog.

"Whoa, he wasn't kidding!" Soukichi exclaimed at that sight, as he and his fellow adventurers hid behind a large rock.

"Where's Mobray, though?" Miyuki couldn't help but ask, not seeing the larger crab around. Satoshi looked around and spotted it, between a pair of palms.

"There it is!" he exclaimed, also noticing a net filled with fresh fish behind a boulder, to which the crab seemed dangerously close "And I can see Braeden's fish, too!"

"Oh boy!" Grimm exclaimed "He's close to that mouth-watering fish!"

"There's not much time to act..." the amber-eyed youth murmured, before turning to his partner "Tyr, can I count on you?"

"Always." the blue-clad young warrior replied, with a firm nod "I'll fight by your side."

"Thank you." his partner replied, with a smile. Then, his expression became determined "We're going for Mobray."

"What?!" the youth's brother exclaimed.

"Satoshi-kun, that crab looks far more dangerous than the others!" Miyuki remarked, concern audible in her voice.

"Not to mention, the other crabs will definitely come at you, too, if you try to get to their boss..." Soukichi added.

"Which is why I need you and Grimm to keep those other crabs off of me, Soukichi." his older brother replied, with a firm voice. Then, he looked at the raven-haired woman "Miyuki-san, you help him clear the coast. In case things go bad, I'll call for Merrilee-san's freezing power." Both Soukichi and Miyuki thought for a moment about the plan laid out by Satoshi, before finally nodding in agreement.

"Just be careful, Nii-san..." the amber-eyed boy murmured in concern.

"Don't worry, Soukichi. I will." his brother smiled reassuringly at him, before looking back to the crab-filled coast "I'll rush at Mobray as soon as you shoot and draw their attention." Immediately, Soukichi took out his cannon and aimed at the crabs.

"We're about to see some action!" Grimm exclaimed, excitedly.

"Oh, definitely." his partner agreed with him, before firing a shell, blowing away a portion of the crabs and drawing the attention of all of the others towards them.

At that point, Satoshi and Tyr jumped over the rock and rushed towards Mobray, as his two fellow travelers, along with their Eidolons, got out of their hiding spot as well and began taking out the crabs with cannon shells, fire breath, flying ice shards and damaging shockwave spells.

While the four of them were taking out wave after wave of Sun Crabs, Satoshi drew his blades and slashed the largest one of them, drawing its attention while damaging it visibly. The crab tried to grab them with its oversized pincers, but the swordsman and his parter quickly jumped out of his reach, as Tyr aimed his bladed guns at it, and began shooting volleys of small thunder spheres, further damaging and paralyzing the beast. It cried out as it felt the electricity coursing through its body, almost crippling its movements. Satoshi took the time to turn to his fellows.

"Are you doing alright, over there?" he asked, as he saw them fighting hordes of incoming crabs.

"While we mow them down, more keep coming!" Soukichi replied, as he fired his shells upon the crustaceans. Hearing those words, Satoshi immediately had an idea, as he turned towards Mobray.

" _Maybe, if we kill the leader..._ " he thought. He then turned to Tyr, who, understanding what his Envoy had in mind, nodded, and twirled the bladed guns in his hand, lifting the barrels vertically. Now, his weapons were no longer bladed pistols, but bona fide short swords imbued with the power of electricity.

Suddenly, Mobray managed to break through the paralysis of his body, and was able to move again, albeit only to a certain degree. It extended its arm towards the two and attempted to squeeze them in its pincers, but they quickly jumped away, and then at its sides, before they slashed cleanly through the limbs connecting it to its pincers, and then, with a quick spin, drove their blades between its eyes, snuffing out its life.

"Forgive me..." Satoshi said, in a whisper, right before the beast drew its last breath. After the deed was done, Tyr looked at his Envoy, surprised by his gesture.

"You showed it respect?" he asked, to which the swordsman looked back at him and nodded.

"It was the least I can do..." he replied, looking down a bit "It's still a living being. To kill something living is not a joke..."

"That's very admirable of you, Satoshi." the blue-clad warrior complimented, with a serious smile "Never lose sight of the value of life." Satoshi nodded upon hearing that statement. As they realized that their leader had been killed, all of the Sun Crabs scurried swiftly back to safety, towards the ocean.

"Satoshi-kun, Tyr-kun, you did it!" Miyuki exclaimed, smiling at the youth as she put her Grimoire back on her waist.

"That was awesome, Nii-san!" Soukichi added. Both the duelist and his partner nodded in reply. Merrilee smiled warmly, while Grimm grinned.

"Now, let's get the catch and go back to Braeden." the youth stated, to which his fellow travelers nodded. Soukichi went to the boulder where the net with the fish was, and grabbed it.

"Mmmm~ This fish looks good!" he smiled, as he saw how fresh the fish was.

"No wonder the crabs were going for it..." Miyuki added, to which Merrilee nodded in agreement. Just as he had finished speaking, however, they could hear the voice of a youth.

"Hey, guys!" The three otherworldly Envoys and their companions immediately turned to the source of the voice, and were surprised to see that it was none other than Braeden, who was running towards them with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Well, look at that!" Soukichi exclaimed, smiling himself "We were just about to come to you." he then presented to him the net he held in his hand "Here, we got the catch."

"I saw what you did there." the young fisherman said, still grinning as he took the net from Soukichi, his eyes filled with awe "I've never seen someone with such skill! You scared the living heck out of those Sun Crabs! They were all scampering away with their tail between their legs!"

"All it took was taking out their boss..." Grimm remarked, remembering how it had been Mobray's death that had been the reason the crabs left the beach.

"I had no idea you had such battle prowess." Braeden continued "You guys could teach me a thing or two." he ended his statement with a chuckle, who was quickly joined by Soukichi's own.

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" Miyuki asked, to which Braeden pensively put his fingers under his chin, glancing at the setting sun, before shaking his head.

"Nothing else, right now." he replied "It's getting dark, you should get some rest right now. You definitely deserved it! I'll think of ideas to counter the pirates, and then I'll tell you what I'll come up with." The three travelers nodded in understanding, with bright smiles on their faces.

Little did they know that someone was watching them from atop the roofs of Helonia: a man in a black garb, his head covered by a hood, with two swords hanging on his hips. He had witnessed as the otherworldly Envoys had cleared the coast of the crabs.

" _They did well..._ " he thought " _But they were not professionals… Not in the common sense..._ " his eyes were fixed on the smiling wanderers, unsuspecting of their observer, until he finally reached his conclusion, and jumped away from his spot.

" _There's no doubt about that… They're..._ "


End file.
